


I don´t love you, lets get married.

by Nikte



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alpha Greg, Alpha John, Alpha Mycroft, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fertility Issues, Freeform, M/M, Multi, Omega Sherlock, Original female character centric, Out of Character, Polyamory, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-05-19 09:11:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 117,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5961907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikte/pseuds/Nikte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an AU story, set in the Omegaverse, I´m not following fanon, since the alpha/omega/beta dynamic I´m trying to portray is based on my own views, mixed with the different ideas I have read in other fanfics, being my mayor inspiration, “The luxury of the wedding ring” written by nefariosity, since this story is kind of a sequel. You don´t need to read that first, but I totally advice you to, since it is a great story based on the idea of Middle class Alpha John and Upper class Omega Sherlock; it ends with the two of them together, but I kept wondering what of Mycroft, so I came up with this idea, hope you like it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The luxury of the wedding ring](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3928759) by [nefariosity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nefariosity/pseuds/nefariosity). 



> This first chapter is an introduction to how I imagine the omegaverse in which I´m setting this story. I tried to be as detalied as possible, please let me know if it is too much lol
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Sherlock Holmes story or characters, I´m not profiting from them, I just like to play with them.
> 
> You can find me in Tumblr as Nikte-metzli

\----------------------------

Prologue

 

This is an AU story, set in the Omegaverse, I´m not following fanon, since the alpha/omega/beta dynamic I´m trying to portray is based on my own views, mixed with the different ideas I have read in other fanfics, being my mayor inspiration, “The luxury of the wedding ring” written by nefariosity, since this story is kind of a sequel, you don´t need to read that first, but I totally advice you to, since it is a great story based on the idea of Alpha John and Omega Sherlock; it ends with the two of them together, but I kept wondering what of Mycroft, so I came up with this idea, hope you like it.

 

So now an explanation of how I imagine omegaverse:

 

Biology:

 

The number of Alphas, Omegas and Betas is really balanced, in other words, there are plenty of all of them, and they all share the same genetic bases, but alphas and omegas tend to develop intelligence, strength, resilience, artistic talent and/or fertility rates slightly above the average beta; existing cases in which they surpass by far the average (so the existence of the Holmes brothers)

 

Humans are born with a gender and a subgender; the gender being alpha, omega or beta; and the subgender male or female.

 

Among alpha-omega parings, for reproductive purposes, there is no relevance to the subgender, but among betas, only female-male parings may conceive. In case of beta-omega parings, the beta must be male and in case of beta-alpha, the beta must be female.

 

Alpha-alpha or omega-omega parings can´t reproduce.

 

Alpha-omega unions may produce a beta.

 

Beta-beta unions may produce an alpha or an omega.

 

Only alphas go on rut and only omegas go on heat, and it starts around the time they turn 16. They have them every three months, and they last 3 days.

 

Omegas can become pregnant in or out of heat, but during heat their fertility increases, so if they get pregnant during that time, it is highly probable for them to have a multiple pregnancy (the maximum being 3 babies) if they breed with an alpha. Betas can see their omega partner through their heats, even when they don´t have a knot; since it has nothing to do with pleasure, being a mere genetic tool to guarantee pregnancy.

 

All of them, alpha, betas and omegas produce pheromones when they are experiencing strong feelings like happiness, arousal, anger or fear; but alphas and omegas are more sensitive to them; therefor the general idea that during heat an omega would feel better with an alpha.

 

Female betas have a “normal” reproductive cycle.

 

Legal system:

 

For centuries, by law, omegas have been treated as underage persons, dependant on their alpha sire/beta father or their husband, due to the fact that during heat they are vulnerable and mentally impaired; but through the years, thanks to the development of medicine, different civil rights were granted to them:

 

  * Once their heats beginning, they can take birth control and suppressants till they bond/marry; after that it is a decision they must make with the approval of their partner.



 

  * There is no limitation to their access to education, and schools are organized in a way that omegas can miss class during heats, without falling behind in their studies; but in order to attend university, they must present a formal letter of their alpha sire/beta father or partner.



          Despite this, there are fields traditionally seen as exclusive for alphas or exclusive for omegas; betas are accepted in every field.

  * Omegas over the age of 21 are entitled to own properties, and administrate any and every income they receive, but each year they must present their financial records verified and approved by their alpha sire/beta father or partner.



 

  * In order to get a job, their alpha sire/beta father or partner should inscribe them in an official register; this can be done as soon as the omega turns 21, or earlier if they have a professional career in the arts or sports.



             The omegas must receive their wages directly, but their employer must inform their alpha sire/beta father or partner how much they earn, as well as any

             rise or promotion they get.

  * Widowed omegas are granted full citizenship, although they are under constant surveillance of the government, having monthly visits of social workers in order to verify the are doing well and haven´t suffered any kind of abuse or discrimination.



 

Social views:

 

Despite what the legal system institutes, there are a lot of old social conventions that limit the omegas, dictating the way they should lead their life, establishing the way they should act, talk and dress, as well as when to get married, what to study, etc.

 

Among the middle and low classes, those social conventions have lost importance with time, so omegas receive a more equalitarian treatment, although they must comply with the legal requisites, many of which nowadays are seen as simple formalities, since it is rare for an alpha sire/beta father or partner to refuse an omega the opportunity to study or work

 

Among middle and lower classes, there is no prejudice against the marriage between alphas-betas or omegas-betas

 

Upper classes are very traditionalist, and still treat their omegas as children, planning and deciding their lives for them; and as a rule, omegas are married soon after their first heat

 

They favour the idea that alphas should only marry and bond with omegas, to ensure the continuity of their linage; so they favour arranged marriages where the omega is usually younger than the alpha, because they believe that being older, the alpha would be better prepared to “handle” and “care” for their omega.

 

The marriage rite they follow is sexist, and reflects the fact than an omega is consider a possession, that first belongs to her alpha sire and then to her alpha husband.

 

The vows are as follows (taken from the story “The luxury of the wedding ring” by nefariosity, if you want to know how the whole ceremony goes, read the story, it´s great, the wedding is described in chapter 9):

 

_“ Name of the alpha, my love, my life, my husband. I give you my eyes, that you may be my guide. I give you my mouth, that you may speak through it your wisdom. I give you my heat, that you may fill me with your life.” _

_“ Name of the omega, I accept your eyes, and pledge to lead you ever to the right.” The alpha takes a black cloth in hand and secures it over the omegas eyes. “I accept your mouth, and pledge to fill it only with righteous words.” The alpha places a white cloth across the omega's open mouth, to be tied at the back of his/her head. “I accept your heat, and pledge to care for this life, and any life that I may create of you,” the alpha ties a green sash around the omega's waist. “I am yours, and you are mine, now and always.” _

 

After that the alpha sire and his lawyer witness the union and bonging of the pair.

 

Upper class Omegas are expected to remain untouched till marriage, while alphas are encouraged to have sex since their firs rut. Once bonded, omegas can only spend their heat with their alpha, but it isn´t consider necessary for them to have sex outside of it, not with their alpha and certainly not with someone else; but it is socially accepted for the alphas to have affairs, as long as they are discrete. For this purpose, alphas mostly choose betas or other alphas, saying that omegas are immature, needy and not as intelligent, although this isn´t true, and the differences between the alphas and their omegas are due to their age differences, as well as the limited education that omegas are allowed to receive.

 

Once married, upper class omegas are expected to devote to their husband, and children, when they have them. It isn´t expected for them to go to university but they may have jobs, as long as they don’t neglect their alpha or family obligations. They may choose jobs related to cooking or decoration, but it is preferred for them to stay at home.

 

Upper class Omegas are “trained” from an early age to become good wives and gracious hostesses, since they must exhibit the right social skills in order to shade the right light on their alpha and, in that way, promote his social standing.

 

**Notes: This is a fictional world, it isn´t my intention to offend anyone. This doesn´t reflect reality, so what I explained doesn´t describe an actual society, country or group.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who said being a young, whealty omega was easy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the beginning of the story, let me know what you think about it ;)
> 
> Big thank you to Krefftii for editing this chapter, you are awesome!!!

\---------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1

 

“Jaaawn…I am bored, can we go home now?” whined Sherlock, pouting and placing his elbows on the elegantly laid out party table.

 

“Sherlock we´ve been here less than 5 minutes, how can you possibly be bored?” asked John, while he watched the few couples that were on the dancing floor.

 

“There is no one new here, I have deducted them all before, and their lives are so…monotonous. Can you believe none of them has done something new or exiting for me to deduct; the cheaters are still cheaters, the greedy are still greedy and the ninnies are still ninnies…”, lamented Sherlock as he once again surveyed the exclusive restaurant they were at.

 

“Oh, how inconsiderate of them, perhaps you could manipulate all of them to include along their New Year resolutions the purpose of doing something unexpected, so by next year, this party won´t seem so boring to you.”

 

Sherlock turned to look at John with narrowed eyes and told him, “John, this unoriginal, unimaginative people do not know how to be spontaneous, I bet that the most I could get would be for them to change the way they drink their tea, and even then, they would only do that for a day, returning to their same boring tea with _no sugar I´m on a diet_ by next day.”

 

“Well, Sherlock, by now you must have learned that tea is something sacred and immutable.”

 

“Really John…”

 

“Sherlock, John, so nice to see you here!” greeted a young female omega who approached their table. She was wearing a strapless dress, showing off the fact she wasn´t bonded, and as if that wouldn´t have been scandalous enough for the other guests at the party, the skirt of the dress was very short.

 

“Itzel, wow look at you…That dress it is…it is quite…”, John stammered, while he looked at the shortness of the dress.

 

“Eyes up John…I´m sure you have seen other pairs of legs, what with you being a doctor and all that”, said Sherlock with a smirk.

 

“Wha…Sherlock please, I mean Itzel is our friend I wasn´t…I wasn´t…”, answered John nervously.

 

Itzel smiled knowingly, and just said: “So you like my dress? I mean almost every alpha in the room looks as if they want it to disappear and almost all the omegas look as if they want _me_ to disappear.”

 

“I wonder why you would say that”, mumbled John under his breath.

 

“Oh, we all know perfectly well why I said that, you don´t need to be a deducting genius to figure that out”, replied the girl, winking at Sherlock; while John blushed, after all he thought his last comment hadn’t been loud enough for Itzel to hear.

 

“Well, in any case it would be easier for the dress to disappear, after all there is not much of it is there?” added Sherlock smiling mischievously.

 

“Oh, come on Sherlock, look at this part, there´s plenty of fabric there, I swear, this dress weighs more than I do…”, whined Itzel, and then both, Sherlock and Itzel, dissolved into giggles.

 

“Shush you too, this isn´t funny, I bet your father is less than pleased with your choice of dress, or is he Itzel?” inquired John.

 

“I don´t think my father has even noticed that he attended the party with me, so no, I don´t think he cares about my dress.” answered Itzel petulantly, while looking at her perfectly manicured nails.

 

“Please Itzel, not you!!! I mean, really? daddy issues? I thought you were a tad more interesting than that”, complained Sherlock while letting his head drop on the table.

 

“What can I say Sherlock I´m just a mere mortal, we can´t all be interesting geniuses like you, if we were, who would you make fun of?” said Itzel while playing with Sherlock´s curls.

 

“Well my dear, when you are right you are right.”, answered Sherlock, turning his face in order to see Itzel and smiling to her.

 

“See, and that is why you keep me around”, whispered Itzel fondly.

 

“You two, can be so childish sometimes…”, sighed John.

 

“Prerogative of the young, what can I say John.”, replied Itzel.

 

“Hey, that is my husband you are talking about, and let me tell you he isn´t old.”

 

“Well Sherlock, I never said that, stop projecting _your_ issues.”

 

And once again the two omegas started giggling like a pair or small children.

 

“Really stop laughing; everybody is looking at us now. Sherlock, the last thing I need is a speech from your father, about how we couldn´t behave at the only party she has asked us to attend since we got married.”

 

“Hmp, father should know better than to _invite_ us to this kind of party; she knows perfectly well I can´t stand them, everybody is so dull…I thought that now that I am married, father did not have a say on the way I lead my life.”

 

“And she doesn´t, love. I think she just invited us to spend some time together. They are your family Sherlock, and perhaps your father thought that meeting in neutral ground would be the best way to approach you. Besides it´s just a New Year party, good food, good wine and dancing, really you don´t even have to socialize with anyone but me…”, said John, kissing Sherlock on the temple.

 

“Oh, aren´t you the most romantic couple of love-birds...But I must ruin your plan Doctor Watson, because I refuse to go back to my table, my father´s friends, for all their distinguished ancestry, tend to get a little handsy after they have drank a little of that good wine you just mentioned.”

 

“Well, if you had worn a different dress…”, interjected Sherlock.

 

“Sherlock!!!”, exclaimed John

 

“What? It is true, alphas tend to view it as an invitation to touch when an omega wears revelling clothes.”, defended Sherlock

 

“Oh please, alphas think it is an invitation to touch if an omega so much as sneezes their way.”, said Itzel dismissively.

 

“Exactly my point, and the reason why I wonder why are you at this party wearing that dress. It is not your style.”, concluded Sherlock.

 

“Can´t you deduce it?”, challenged Itzel.

 

“I can, but I won´t. John has called to my attention that it is a bit not good to deduce people whose company one deems acceptable, you know in order to not cause an estrangement…”.

 

“Awww, you consider me a friend.”, cooed Itzel.

 

“I never said such thing.”, answered Sherlock.

 

“No, you didn´t but I talk Holmesian, after all I´ve known you for years, even if we stopped seeing each other when your parents decided you should be tutored at home. It was great meeting again at uni.”

 

“So about your dress…”, inquired Sherlock.

 

“Yes you are right”, sighed Itzel, “it is not my style, but I thought that since my father is so resolute in his decision of finding me a _good husband_ as soon as possible, then I would help him and exhibit the merchandise, let everybody see, that even if I am damaged goods, I´m pretty attractive goods.”

 

“So that is what got you angry.”, mumbled Sherlock

 

At that moment, Itzel hugged Sherlock and whispered to him, so not even John could hear her: “He promised…before mum died, he promised…and now because of everything people have been saying he has decided to marry me off.”

 

By now John was accustomed to the way Itzel and Sherlock interacted, Itzel really cared about Sherlock and since she was a very expressive person, she constantly touched or hugged him. The first time John had seen them together around campus, he almost dropped his tea on himself, she had been hugging Sherlock, and John had ran to them, not because he was jealous, but because he was afraid of Sherlock´s reaction to the hug. As he approached, he realized Sherlock wasn´t insulting her or pushing her away, he was actually returning the hug, in his own awkward way. After that Sherlock had introduced Itzel to John, and had explain how they had known each other since they were kids.

 

So even when John thought Itzel and her touchy feely tendencies were beneficial for Sherlock, he knew that their hugging, at the moment, would only cause problems, since _people do little more than talk_ , as Sherlock had pointed out many times, so he coughed to attract their attention and asked Itzel, “Damaged goods? I´m sorry but I´m not following you.”

 

“Oh right, John, you haven´t been long in these social circles so you don´t know how things work. Among the upper classes, whenever an omega suffers an accident or illness that in some way affects their fertility, the information is divulged, God forbid an alpha is _tricked into marriage_ believing the omega will give him a ton of pups, when not being capable of that _…_ ”, answered Itzel with thinly veiled anger.

“You are kidding right, I mean a person´s medical file is confidential; it´s a basic human right.”, said John surprised.

 

“Once again dear John, welcome to our world. Upper class omegas are denied that right, so as soon as something happens to you, everybody who is somebody is notified. Obviously it is done in the most _discrete_ way possible, in order to _respect_ the omega´s privacy. Basically, someone organizes a tea party to which every omega with single alpha sons, in an appropriate age range, is invited; when the time is right, someone comes up and says that the party was hosted in order to cheer up a fellow mother whose offspring has been recently sick. They obviously make it clear that the sickness isn´t something contagious or life threatening, but they do emphasis that the omega has been left with a weak constitution, which in posh dialect means: damaged, can´t conceive easily.”

 

“Oh, that´s…I would say unbelievable, but after my wedding with Sherlock…”.

 

“You had a traditional one right? I mean with the whole _I own you now_ ritual and the part in which the alpha sire and his lawyer verify the bonding.”

 

“Yes, that…yes.”, replied John sadly.

 

“Your wedding won´t be like that.”, stated Sherlock, without a trace of doubt.

 

“No, thank God for small mercies. My mother was very clear on that aspect in her will, and since it´s is the omega´s mother prerogative to organise the wedding, I won´t have to go through all that. If only she had been able to voice her opinion about the way my future husband would be chosen…”, Itzel said wistfully, and then noticing that John was looking at her curiously, she told him, “Go on John ask.”

 

“Well since Sherlock introduced us, I have wonder why you aren´t bonded, I mean, you’re are an ambassador’s daughter, I´ve heard, that even if your family is from Mexico, some of your ancestors were Spanish nobles…”.

 

“My mother was a middle class omega, so her views on marriage and bonding were more liberal, she thought every omega should first understand how their body works before sharing it with someone else and, well, she got to convince father to wait for me to complete my education, before he arranged a marriage for me.”

 

“Then why are you talking about marriage now? You haven’t finished uni yet.”, asked John

 

“Well, my mother died a few months ago, just a couple of weeks before your wedding, that is why we didn´t attend the ceremony. Anyway, without my mother here, father has been just so out of it…and then there is grandmother and her meddling, constantly giving father _wise_ advice about how to deal with me…Yesterday father told me it would be best for me if I got married as soon as possible, that way it would be easier for me to get over mum´s death, since my alpha would know how to care for me…”.

 

“Itzel I…”.

 

“No, please John…just, don´t”, after a tense silence Itzel said quietly: “I´m sorry, I don´t know why I´m telling you all this, guess it´s all this nonsense of how _New Year is a time of reflection_. I better go back to my table.”

 

As Itzel was getting up, Mycroft approached.

 

“John, Sherlock, Miss Cedeño, good evening.”

 

“Hello Mycroft”, answered John

 

“Oh, it´s you”, said Sherlock dismissively.

 

“Good evening Mister Holmes.”, replied Itzel in a singsong way, batting her eyelashes.

 

Mycroft ignored her and turned to Sherlock, “So brother dear, are you enjoying the party?”

 

“As a matter of fact no, this party is as staid as all its guest; the only redeemable thing was that at this table the company was at least bearable, but now that you are here, things just went downhill.”

 

“So I went from acceptable to bearable? Sherlock darling, you wound me. Would I go back to being acceptable if I take away your brother?”, said Itzel with a smirk.

 

Sherlock, didn´t deign to answer that, he simply raised an eyebrow at Itzel, who turned to Mycroft and asked, “Would you dance with me Mr. Holmes?”, while she extended her hand to him.

 

Itzel wasn`t sure if Mycroft would accept her invitation to dance. Good manners dictated he couldn’t refuse. It was seen as a grave insult if an alpha dismissed a socially acceptable approach from an omega; he might as well be calling her a slut, unworthy of bonding with a respectable alpha. She was aware of the kind of gossip fuelled by her choice of attire, if Mycroft said no, her reputation would be destroyed, her father wouldn´t be able to find her a husband, at least not among the upper classes. She wasn´t sure if she wanted Mycroft to accept or to decline…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Itzel is Mayan for afternoon star.
> 
> You can see the dress worn by Itzel in the next link:  
> http://asset2.zankyou.com/images/wervice-card-big/d0a/513e/1050/800/w/62889/-/1415653214.jpg


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mycroft suprises Sherlock and Itzel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who have taken the time to read al leave kudos :)
> 
> This first chapters are meant to build the whole story, would love to hear what you thinkg about them, are they too much?

Chapter 2

 

“Of course, Miss Cedeño I would be delighted, after all it is always a joyous occasion to get reacquainted with old childhood friends” answered Mycroft taking Itzel´s hand, then he turned to John and Sherlock. “If you excuse us”, and left guiding Itzel to the dance floor.

 

“I thought that pompous ass was going to insult her by refusing her invitation to dance.” Exclaimed Sherlock surprised.

 

“Sherlock, you must have a little bit more faith in your brother, even if he wasn´t all that open about it, during our engagement it became clear he doesn´t agree with the way omegas are treated by these old families. Besides I bet he knows about your friendship with Itzel, he wouldn´t do anything to risk pushing you away now that things are getting better between you two.”

 

“No, he is planning something…”

 

“Oh Sherlock…come let’s dance, I bet you can continue piecing together your conspiracy theories while I take you for a spin.”

 

“But of course I can. Really John, haven´t I proved to you my abilities”

 

“You git…” said John with a smile pulling Sherlock to the dance floor.

 ---------------------------

 

“So, Mr. Holmes, it is really a surprise to see you here. It´s been years since you graced one of these parties with your presence, are you afraid of us dainty, single omegas, or of our eager matchmaker mothers?”

 

“I assure you Miss Cedeño, if I haven´t partaken in these reunions, it is due to my busy agenda and nothing else.”

 

“Oh please…You are a very sought out bachelor, and your mother constantly talks about how much she would love for you to bond, giving everyone green light to pursue you.”

 

“Really, a sought out bachelor? You surely exaggerate, I maybe the Holmes heir but our fortune is not what it used to be and I merely occupy a minor position in government.”

 

Itzel laughed loudly, making heads turn and receiving disapproving glares. Mycroft simply continued twirling her around the dance floor, as if nothing had happened “Oh, Mr. Holmes don´t sell yourself so cheap, you are an attractive, healthy, young alpha; heir to one of the oldest families and we know that your fortune is quite impressive, even if it has diminished, but whose hasn´t? We are in the middle of an economic recession. Besides, you forget who my father is, I have heard things about you, and I do not believe for one second your position in government is a minor one.”

 

Mycroft raised an eyebrow and smiled at Itzel, “Miss Cedeño you certainly have changed from the last time I talked to you.”

 

“Well, it was to be expected, don´t you think? I was 13 at the time and I was a little bit scared of you, you were always so serious. But I am 21 now, I have done things, been to places...”, said Itzel trying to sound alluring, trying, being the key word, so she just cleared her throat. “So Mr. Holmes, considering how long we have known each other, could you please call me by my given name?”

 

“It will be my honour Itzel, and please call me Mycroft.”

 

“Ok, thank you Mycroft”, replied Itzel trying to suppress her giggles.

 

“Something funny?”

 

“Sorry, it´s just…You acting all prim and proper, when I´m dressed like this…Sherlock is right you are the personification of…good manners”.

 

“Thank you.” replied Mycroft dryly.

 

“Five minutes till mid night, I better get back to my father. Thank you for dancing with me. I wish you a Happy New Year Mycroft, may the happiest days of your past resemble the saddest days of your future”, after reciting the traditional phrase used by her parents every New Year, she stepped on tip toes, kissed Mycroft on the cheek and went in search of her father, holding her head high and ignoring the gasps of the various _respectable_ omegas that saw her kiss Mycroft.

 -----------------------------------

 

“She kissed him!!!” gasped Sherlock

 

“Sherlock since when are you such a prude, it was a peck on the cheek…”

 

“Oh John, you don’t understand, she is taking exceptionally high risks, her family could disown her…”

 

“For a peck on the cheek? During New Year´s Eve? I think this time you are certainly exaggerating. Besides it is Itzel, she is always kissing and hugging everyone”

 

“John, you see, but don´t observe”, snapped Sherlock.

 

“Oi, don´t get angry with me…”

 

“Ok, John, when has Itzel touched you in any way?”

 

“Never…”

 

“Exactly, she is affectionate only with other omegas, which is acceptable, to some extent, something about omegas caring nature, whatever. But never towards an alpha, unless they are family, and even then you just hug or shake hands, never kiss. You just kiss your husband.”

 

“Really when do they teach you all these silly rules…I…and why not kiss? I mean it is common for young women to kiss their father, friends…”.

 

“Really John, remember our wedding?”

 

“Oh God, I wish I didn´t but I do.”

 

“Ok, what parts of my face where highlighted the most?”

 

“Your eyes and, and your lips.”

 

“Exactly, and why was that?”

 

“To resemble your colouring while during heat…”

 

“And…why my lips John?”

 

“Well lips can be associated to…other parts of your anatomy…private parts.”

 

“See, all this rules, are based on the idea that omegas are temptation personified. Like it were our fault that alphas relate everything to sex…Idiots all of them…”

 

“So she is doing all this, because she doesn´t want to get married?”

 

“Mmh, what can I say, it seems we all rebel in some way. The sad part is we all end up complying with our parents’ wishes.”

 

“Sherlock…”

 

“Please John…I know I was really lucky to get you as my alpha, but a part of me is still angry at my parents for forcing me to bond when I didn’t want to. Why do you think I´ve been avoiding them?”

 

“Well, at least it was Mycroft, the one she used for this, any other of the alphas here wouldn´t have treated her so respectfully, I still remember how they were at our wedding.”

 

“Of course, I mean Itzel is angry right now, but she isn’t stupid, she wouldn´t place herself in danger. Although…come John, we must go and stop her, she is a train wreck about to happen.”, and Sherlock left the dance floor seconds before the clock stroke mid night, while John tried to reach him, navigating through the embracing couples.

 

“Hey Sherlock, wait for me. Great, no New Year´s kiss for me.”, mumbled John

 -----------------------------------------------------

 

“Sherlock darling…”, said Itzel with an affected voice

 

“Stop it”

 

“What are you talking about dear?”

 

“Stop acting out.” snapped Sherlock

 

“And you are saying this to me, you who scared away any and every suitor your parents introduce to you?” replied Itzel smirking, feeling terrible the next moment when she noticed John was approaching them.

 

Turning to look at John with a small smile Sherlock answered, “Yes, I did it but I was intelligent about it…unlike you.” He glared at Itzel. “You think acting like a libertine would change your father´s decision? You know it won´t, and the only thing you will achieve is ending with the worst alpha available.”

 

“Like my options are that good, I´m old for their standards, my fertility is compromised and my father is a third world politician. Do you think I have a chance with a somewhat decent alpha?” whispered Itzel angrily.

 

“So are you being dense on purpose or are you digging for compliments?”, countered Sherlock raising an eyebrow.

 

“Please Sherlock, I know I´m attractive, but that is about all I have to offer.”

 

“I did not mean compliments for you, but for your family, you idiot…” smirked Sherlock “Your uncle has made quite the communications empire, and even if you won´t be his heir, since he has no children, everybody knows all of that will be for your first alpha son.”

 

“Yes there is that…money is money right, no matter where it comes from…”

 

“In your case, it is not only about money, it is information and the power to reach the masses. If you play your cards well you will end with a tolerable alpha.”

 

“Like I will have a say in the _negotiations._ ”

 

“Your father cares for you, he will listen to what you have to say, just cease this childish behaviour or you will force his hand. You know there is not much he can do if your Grandfather decides to intervene in this situation.”

 

Itzel covered her face with her hands and exclaimed “I´m so stupid when I´m angry…And when did you became so… _like this_ ”, she said while waving her hands up and down signalling Sherlock “I was the one who used to explain to you all about people´s emotions and how best not to offend them?”

 

“Well John has been a great influence”, smirked Sherlock

 

“You are a great friend Sherlock. So where are you spending the night? Your flat is kind of far from here, and I am not sure you can get a cab at his time.”

 

“Augh…my parents _invited_ us to their London flat…”

 

“So you brought a change of clothes?”

 

“Yes we left our bag at the reception.”

 

“Would you like to stay with us? There is plenty of space, and I bet Father wouldn’t mind.”

 

“Actually I would be honoured to receive you at our house, Sherlock, Dr. Watson, nice to see you again.” said a middle age man, while placing an elegant cape over Itzel shoulders. “I wanted to come and greet you before, you don´t know how grateful I am for the support you have given to my daughter these last months.”

 

“Nothing to thank Mr. Cedeño, Itzel is our friend”, said John.

 

“So will you stay with us, our cook would be delighted, I know she has planned a grand New Year´s brunch, and you will be doing me a favour, keeping Itzel company, since I´m afraid I have work to do.”

 

John turned to look at Sherlock, and then answered. “Yes, thank you very much for your offer. We´ll just go bid goodbye to Sherlock´s parents.”

 

“If you want to stay longer, there is no problem, my chauffer will come for you when you are ready to leave. It is just that, as I have said, I must work tomorrow so…”

 

“No, it is ok, we will go with you now”, interrupted Sherlock.

 

“As you wish, we will wait for you outside.”

 

“Thank you”

 ------------------------------------

“Yes!!!”

 

“Sherlock, you might want to be a little bit more discrete.”

 

“Why, we were given a good excuse to leave this party earlier than I expected, and I manged to avoid talking to my parents.” Sherlock smiled, turned on his heels and said, “Come along John, let´s go tell my brother to make our excuses.”

 

“As you wish love”


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the party. Sherlock, John and Itzel relax, or at least, they try to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! Glad to know there are persons out there reading my crazy ideas :) I want to thank every body who has left kudos: Blitzy_Eccentric, Steph230, Krefftii, Ella_loves_stories, cumbatchgirl, DaringD, Arianna68, winry_lindemann, ziallboobear, bluetardis, GhosltyGhost, and belle333, really it means a lot
> 
> A big hug for krefftii, DaringD and belle333 for bookmarking this story, and so you know, I will try to update every Wednesday.
> 
> And lots and lots of love to the amazing Krefftii, your help, comments and support keep me writing this story.
> 
> \---------------
> 
> There is a brief mention of cancer in this chapter, but guess I should point it out if it is a delicate subject for someone.

Chapter 3

 

“Good morning John, or should I say good afternoon?” said Itzel, handing him a cup of tea and inviting him to sit at the dining room table.

 

“Good afternoon Itzel”, chuckled John. He was glad to see she had gone back to her normal way of dressing, wearing an oversized knitted sweater, simple jeans and flats, just the Itzel he knew and had come to see as a friend.

 

“Did you sleep well, I hope the room was to your liking”

 

“Oh yes, thank you very much, it was very comfortable”

 

“So I´ve heard”, answered Itzel hiding a smile behind her cup of coffee.

 

John blushed and stammered, “Wha…what do you mean?”

 

“Oh nothing, but I must inform you that the only sound proofed room in this house is my Father´s office”

 

“Oh God…were we…too loud?”

 

“That is what I´ve heard, I mean the noise didn´t reach my room, but the maids have been talking about you nonstop…What did they called you…let me think...oh yes, _that vigorous blond alpha…_ ”

 

“Please shoot me now,” said John thumping his head against the table

 

“Can´t do that, I´m not brave enough to face Sherlock´s ire, do you have any idea of what he will do to me if I dared touch one hair of that pretty blond head of yours?”

 

John snorted, “I´ve heard he knows plenty of ways to make a body disappear without leaving a trace.”

 

Itzel just smiled at him.

 

John started filling a plate with a little bit of everything placed on the table, and after hesitating a moment he said “I had never heard you talk about your mother before yesterday.”

 

“She was a lawyer, she met my father during a conference on free trade agreements. They started seeing each other, they fell in love and they got married. My grandfather allowed it, first of all because father is the younger brother, so he is not the heir, and secondly because even if mom wasn´t rich nor had an illustrious ancestry, she was _acceptable_ and the marriage gave the family positive light after having been suffering of some bad publicity due to their snobbery. But mom wasn´t just _acceptable,_ she was brilliant and with her help, father´s political career was propelled beyond everybody´s expectations, you should have seen grandfather´s expression when Father was named ambassador. She got sick…cancer. When the doctors detected it, there wasn´t much they could do, or so they said. She died two years later.”

 

“I´m sorry…”

 

Itzel just shrugged, “Nothing to do about it…”

 

John smiled sadly, “We all grieve in different ways…”

 

“That we do, dear John…I´ve heard what people say, they think mum´s death didn´t affect me, since I been acting _normal_ , but I just don´t want them to know, my pain is mine. I miss her so much, I feel so lost, and I don´t know how to talk to my father, she was our mediator, she was the one who kept us together. I not only lost my mother, I lost my family.”

 

After that they both kept eating breakfast, each one deep in their own thoughts, till Sherlock joined them.

 

“So what are your plans to entertain me today?”

 

“Oh, baby Sherli is bored?” cooed Itzel

 

Sherlock just glared at her and turned to John.

 

“It´s my last day off Sherlock, I don´t feel like doing much, how about we return home, I watch crappy telly and you conduct one of your experiments?”

 

“Boring”, huffed Sherlock, crossing his arms and pouting.

 

“Why don´t you both stay, we can play board games.”

 

“Really Itzel, how old do you think I am, I´m younger than you but only by 2 years.”

 

“Oh, come on, you know you love board games, besides I´m willing to take bets”

 

“Ok, what do you offer?”

 

“Well, every time you win I´ll give you one of Father’s cigars or cigarettes. So you can study the ash.”

 

“Deal”

 

“Cigars or cigarettes? asked John confused

 

“Yes father collects them, he quit smoking when I was a little girl, but every time he travels, he can´t help but to buy local brands of cigar or cigarettes, says that helps...”

 

“And if you win?”

 

“Well, for every time I win you will tutor me on statistics for an hour. What about you John?”

 

“For every time I win, Sherlock will have to do the dishes, and for every time I loose, I will pick up his dirty clothes without complain.”

 

“Great, LET THE GAMES BEGIN”

 

They all laughed and headed to the library.

 

While they were in a fierce competition of Trivial Pursuit, a maid came in, “Excuse me miss”

 

“Yes?”

 

“There is a gentleman here, he has an appointment with your father, but he said he wanted to talk to you first. His name is Mycroft Holmes.”

 

“Oh, please send him in”

 

“Augh, my brother is probably here to spy on me.”, said Sherlock plopping on the couch.

 

“Well brother dear, someone has to make sure you don´t offend your hosts, it would be tiresome to sort an international conflict caused by one of your temper tantrums. Itzel, John, good afternoon”

 

“Hello Mycroft” said John, while Sherlock just glared at her brother and Itzel blushed like a teenager.

 

After a moment Itzel years of ingrained good manners kicked in, “Good afternoon Mr. Holmes, and there is nothing for you to worry about, it has been really nice to have Sherlock and John here. I will leave you now, I guess, you want to talk to them.”

 

“Actually, it is you I wish to talk to, if you could give me a few minutes…”

 

“I…yes of course…lets…”

 

At that moment, John got up and said, “If you excuse us, I have to try one more of your cook´s creations before we leave. Come one love.” He grabbed Sherlock´s hand and all but dragged him out of the library. Sherlock pouted, huffed and glared some more to Mycroft, but he didn´t say anything.

 

Itzel had no idea why Mycroft Holmes would want to talk with her, and she was so nervous that she just blurted out the first thing she could think of, “I´m sorry for my behaviour at the party Mr. Holmes. I know it was highly inappropriate and I´m sure my Father will make the necessary apologies to you and your parents.” Itzel was seconds away from grabbing her plait and biting on it, the way she did when she was a little girl and her parents had caught her misbehaving.

 

“I thought we had agreed on calling each other by our first names.”

 

“Yes, yes. You are right. I´m sorry…Mycroft.”

 

“I assure Itzel, there is no need for apologies, in the last year I have come to realize that some of the social conventions we abide to are sorely outdated and unfair for omegas. But I did not come here to talk about that, I wished to invite you out for dinner.”

 

“You want to dine with me?”

 

“Yes, I will of course make the proper request to your father, but I first wanted to make sure you weren´t adverse to the idea of going out with me.”

 

Itzel was about to blurt out _why_ , but she stopped herself in time, she had already made a fool of herself in front of Mycroft too many times, she didn´t need to add to that. So she just said, “Yes I would like to go out with you Mycroft.”

 

“Thank you Itzel, you honour me. I will arrange the details with your Father.”

 

“Ok, oh, by next week I won´t be staying here but at my dorm room at Uni”

 

“Thank you, I will take that under consideration. Well, goodbye Itzel, see you soon. Could you please tell Sherlock and John that I will be leaving in an hour, in case they want a ride home, I´ll met them outside.”

 

“Of course, I´ll give them your message. Goodbye”.

 

After inclining his head towards Itzel, Mycroft exited the room, leaving behind a gobsmacked omega.

 

_What the hell_ …thought Itzel; after a moment she came back to her senses and decided to go find John and Sherlock.

 

\--------------------------------------------

 

“What did my pompous brother want? I hope he didn´t come here just to give you a lesson on good manners.”

 

“No, he…he invited me out for dinner.”

 

“See John, I told you, he is planning something.”

 

“O come on Sherlock, it is such a farfetched idea that maybe your brother wants to…socialize?”, answered John doubtfully.

 

“Mycroft doesn´t socialize unless it is part of a plan”

 

“Thanks Sherlock that is really reassuring.” whispered Itzel.

 

“It wasn´t my intention to be comforting, I want you to be prepared, if my brother wants to dine with you, is because you are a means to a goal, what goal I´m not certain, but you better refuse his invitation as long as you can, meanwhile I´ll try to find out what he wants.”

 

Both Itzel and John rolled their eyes at Sherlock´s words.

 

“Well, your warning comes too late Sherlock, I already said yes, besides you know that Mycroft was just being polite; after all it is my father who has the last word, and I doubt he will say no to Mycroft.”

 

“So when will you be seeing him, I need to know, perhaps there is time for me to know what he is plotting.”

 

“You know how this works, Mycroft and my Father are the ones who will decided the details of our… _date_. I probably won´t find out until supper, if my Father accompanies me, if not, guess he will tell me tomorrow at breakfast. Oh, by the way, Mycroft said that he could give you a ride home if you wanted.”

 

“Of course not, I will not ride…”

 

“Yes, we will Sherlock, it is getting late, and I don´t feel like going out in search of a cab. Come, let’s go pick up our things.”

 

“Do you want to take some food with you?”

 

“Oh yes please!” sighed John, while mentally given thanks to homemade food and friends who liked to share it.

 

“Ok, I´ll take care of that”

 

\--------------------------------

 

“So, Sherlock and John left with Mycroft.”, stated Mr. Cedeño going into his daughter’s room.

 

“Yes Father, they didn´t want to interrupt you, so they asked me to tell you they appreciated your hospitality”

 

Mr. Cedeño just smiled thinly and sat beside his daughter on the window sit. “Itzel, Mr. Holmes asked my permission to take you out for dinner.”

 

“I know Father, he informed me of his intentions.”

 

“He will meet you next Friday, 8 o’clock at the entrance of your dormitory, I will make the necessary calls and request the University´s chaperon service to appoint someone to accompany you.”

 

“All right Father, I will be punctual. Is there something else you needed? I was about to get ready for bed.”

 

“No, that was all”, Mr. Cedeño got up to leave, but before he reached the door, he turned to Itzel and told her, “You are so like your mother…”

 

Itzel didn´t answer, but after he had left she whispered: “No, I´m not, that is the problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, to make everything a little bit more clear, in this story Sherlock is 19, Itzel is 21, Mycroft is 28 and John is 32.
> 
> I will also like to point out, that I firmly belive that each person reacts differently to the death of a loved one; some would mourn, and cry, and shout; but there are others who would deal with their pain quietly and in private and no matter in which way someone reacts, it doesn´t mean they cared less or more about the person who is gone.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing the in-laws

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am having a lot of fun writting this, and it is always nice to know that there is something reading this, so thank you so much for the once who have left kudos and the ones who have left comments.
> 
> Krefftii, thank you for being the beta for your story, your opinions keep me going ;)

Chapter 4

 

What are you playing at Mycroft?, Violet Holmes alpha sire and head of the Holmes´ family, asked drily while looking over some official papers on her desk.

 

“Excuse me father, but I do not understand your meaning.” answered Mycroft calmly, carefully keeping his relaxed posture. He had yet to master his father´s ability to guide a conversation. He could certainly outsmart a lot of politicians and business men, but he still had yet to discover the way to come out as the victor when having a conversation with his father, especially sitting here at the office of the Holmes' state. Sentiment. It certainly complicated everything. A part of him still craved his father approval, and that just made him lose objectivity. He bid his time, better not give too much information, before he was sure what his father wanted to talk about, although he was almost sure he already knew...

 

“Your mother hosted a tea party yesterday, and you know what the latest gossip is?” said Mrs. Holmes turning to look at Mycroft for the first time since the young alpha had entered the office.

 

“Gossip father? And it interested you? I would have to guess it is something about Sherlock in which case I should ask you not to concern yourself. His alpha has proved to be quite efficient in handling him.”

 

“Really Mycroft?” snorted Mr Holmes, “It seems you forget who taught you every deflection technique there is to avoid answering questions. Please do not insult me.”

 

“Father I assure you…”

“THAT IS ENOUGH MYCROFT”, yelled Mrs. Holmes hitting the top of her desk with open hands, leaning towards Mycroft. “I´m going to say this just once. You will cancel your _date_ with that girl. She isn´t worthy to marry the Holmes heir...”.

At those words, Mycroft´s control snapped, he was so tired of the self-satisfied attitude constantly displayed by his family. He stood up and yelled back to his father: “AND PRAY TELL ME FATHER, WHO IS A WORTHY HOLMES WIFE?”

 

“YOU WILL NOT RISE YOUR VOICE AT ME YOUNG MAN, I´M STILL THE HEAD OF THIS FAMILY!!!”

 

“I apologise Father, but you must understand I simple cannot marry one of the omegas you and mother have introduced to me. All of them are still teenagers, I am twice the age of most of them. I am sorry but I just can´t stomach the thought of… _bonding_ one of them.”

 

Mrs. Holmes noticed Mycroft´s hesitation when referring to bonding. Neither Mycroft not Sherlock had ever shown curiosity towards sex, well Sherlock´s view had changed when meeting Dr. Watson, perhaps Mycroft…So even if she wasn´t sure of her son´s desires, in hopes of dissuading Mycroft, she took a risk and said, “Oh, I understand son, it is fine. But remember, you don’t have to _bond_ with that girl in order to _bed_ her. Just get her out of your system and then you will choose a wife among the omegas your mother and I have introduced to you. The girl is attractive enough, and I´m sure she has lots of experience, I mean, she is 21, that means that at this point in time she has gone through 15 heats, approximately, and I´m sure she hasn´t spent all of them alone.”

 

Mycroft saw red, he wasn´t sure why, but hearing Itzel being insulted caused an anger to rise in him that he hadn´t felt in years. He thought it was just his subconscious reacting to his omega being insulted, after all he had already made up his mind to marry her. Just as he used to do when he was a child, he placed his right hand behind his back and closed his fist tightly, till he could feel his nails digging into his palm, the pain helped him calm down and at this moment he had to keep his wits about him, he had to convince his father of this. “I have made the proper inquiries about her. I am sure Miss Cedeño has never shared a heat with anyone. “

 

Mrs. Holmes noticed Mycroft´s reaction, she was not sure of the reason why her comment had affected her son, but she decided to keep on the same track. “So you want to be the one to brag you were her first one? Mycroft, you surprise me, I thought you were above those petty shows of alpha bravado”.

 

Mycroft was not going to stand this anymore, and even if he would regret this move, he wasn´t going to keep listening to his father insult not only Itzel but Mycroft himself. “When I arranged a meeting with Miss Cedeño it was to ask her to marry me”, replied Mycroft firmly.

 

“I let Sherlock marry John as a last resort, no one else wanted to marry your brother; but that doesn´t mean I will allow you to marry whoever you want, least of all that girl, of all the omegas you have met, you had to set your eyes on her? She even isn´t the prettiest or the most alluring of the omegas among our social circle. She is...average.”

 

“Stop insulting her Father, she will become your daughter in law. I´m sure family dinners will be awkward enough, without you having to remember all the things you said to vilify her.”

 

“Mycroft our traditions, beliefs, ideals, are something you can´t ignore without consequences. Don´t you realize that by marrying her you would be closing various doors for yourself?”

 

And at that moment Mycroft realized it, his Father was desperate, she didn´t know how to convince him not to marry Itzel. His Father couldn´t do anything to stop the wedding. Mycroft was of age and even if he had the Holmes name to support him, he had been working for years now, and he had earned a place for himself.

 

“No Father, times have changed. Our practices are considered old fashioned, even barbaric, by the middle and lower classes, as well as by the _new money_ , as mother calls them. You may say whatever you want, but we need to stay in a good public light, we need their support to keep our status quo. Marrying Itzel will open doors for me, it will show we respect omegas, that we value them for what they are, the mothers of our future generation. Don´t you see, Miss Cedeño is an educated young omega, she has proved to be independent, but at the same time she was brought up with our beliefs and ideals, she is an excellent choice. And besides, weren´t you the one who used to tell me that a Holmes always finds his way in, even when the door is closed?”

 

As a last resort Mrs. Holmes said dismissively, “Please, with the way she acted at the New Year´s party you consider her an _excellent choice..._ ”

 

“I had her thoroughly vetted, withstanding her behaviour at that party, there is no gossip or scandal linked to her, actually until that day, she was often referred to as an example for younger omegas, impeccable manners, caring nature, patience, good taste, discretion. I am sure the only reason mother never mentioned her as an option was the fact that by the time you _suggested_ I should begin thinking on settling down, Miss Cedeño had already gone through her fourth or fifth heat.”

 

“So you think marrying here would be a strategical political move?”

 

“Yes, I do believe so.”

 

“This does not have anything to do with Sherlock´s bonding? It is not your way of proving how wrong we were when we decided to marry him young, or is it?”

 

“Getting married to Doctor Watson is the best thing that could have happened to Sherlock.”

 

“Fine, then marry the girl, and pray to God this decision does not backfire on you. Your mother is in the music room, make sure to see him before you leave”

 

And for the first time in his life, the dismissal of his father didn´t bother Mycroft, because this time, he had won.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

“Mummy”, said Mycroft while leaning to kiss his mother on the cheek.

 

“Mycroft, aren´t you a vision, so handsome and elegant.” gushed Mr. Siger Holmes

 

Mycroft just smiled thinly at him, and ignoring his comment asked, “How have you been Mummy?”

 

“Oh fine, fine, son. I´m thinking of remodelling the room next to Sherlock´s, must have it prepared as a nursery as soon as possible, Your brother has been married for two years now, I guess it is not so farfetched to think that his alpha will be wanting pups soon.”

 

“Mummy I do not think they are ready to have _children_ yet. Sherlock hasn´t finished his studies and Dr. Watson´s practice has just started to take off.”

 

“Oh Mycroft, once you bond you will understand. It is in an alpha´s nature to want _pups_ , and they can´t control that urge for long. Don´t look at me like that, you may prize yourself of being always rational and in control, after all you have an above average intellect, but at some point you will succumb to your instincts. We all do.”

 

This wasn´t a conversation Mycroft wanted to have with Mummy…“Father tells me you have been quite busy this days…”.

 

“So she mentioned the tea party…I told her it was just gossip. You know Lady Lorraine, I guess that spending so much time among young omegas has made her quite the romantic.”, said Mummy with a wink.

 

“Lady Lorraine? She is the one responsible for the Chaperon Service at Sherlock´s University, right?” asked Mycroft, although he already knew the answer to that.

 

“Exactly” replied Mummy “Every time she can make it to one of my tea parties, she regales us with stories about the dates she supervises. Of course we do not actually know most of the omegas she talks about, but now and then she would mention someone we have met…” At that moment Mummy turned his eyes to Mycroft and watched him curiously.

 

“Mummy, after Sherlock´s wedding you and Father have been quite vocal on your desire for me to get an omega of my own. The truth is, that until recently I had not given it serious consideration, I thought getting married would interfere with my career, but then Father pointed out that before I can assume my rightful place as head of the Holmes family, I must be bonded. Because of that I concluded that it would be best to get married at this point of time since, yes my chosen profession is demanding, but the more I advance in it, the busier my schedule will become, leaving me with little to no time to socialize…”

 

“So Mycroft, you have decided to marry Itzel?” interrupted Mummy, surprising Mycroft with his assertiveness.

 

Mummy was not usually like that, he was sweet but shallow and more often than not, he took Father’s opinion as the absolute truth, even if by doing so he hurt his sons or worst, himself. Neither he nor Sherlock were ever able to establish a relationship with Mummy, for all what was said of the caring nature of omegas, his mother, as well as other upper class omegas left their children to the care of nannies, spending their lives organizing or attending social events.

 

Considering the way Mummy had asked that question, so calmly, Mycroft thought that he must be sincere and direct with him: “Yes Mummy.”

 

“May I ask why? Oh do not look at me that way, I haven´t got anything against her, not particularly; there was even a time when I wished for your brother to be a little bit more like her. But you know the way marriages are arranged among us; she is too old, and has been through many heats…”

 

“Yes father has pointed that out already, but as I told him, she has spent all her heats alone, besides, she is well educated and independent; and since she is not a teenager any more, unlike the omegas you have introduced to me, that means she would be less dependent or prone to emotional outbursts. I think she will be a good wife, we will talk things through as adults and reach compromises so we can fulfil our family obligations and, at the same time, build a…pleasant life together.

 

Mummy gave a heartfelt sigh and mumbled, “Oh, you Holmes, there is not a romantic bone in any of you, for your father and you it is all about work, duty, responsibility and honour, for Sherlock is all about solving puzzles. Well at least dear Sherlock found someone who loves him the way he is. I had hopped…Well it does not matter now, things are what they are and we are who we are, right.”

 

“Mummy, I do not understand.”

 

“When Lady Lorraine told me about your date with Itzel, I´m afraid it was I and not her who came up with the idea of a romance between the two of you. I was wrong…as always. I know what you think of me, a silly omega dependant on his alpha, but I wasn´t always like that…I wanted to be a pianist you know? But then my first heat came and my parents arranged my marriage…When Sherlock and John fell in love, I hoped you would realize that you did not have to conform with a union like the one your Father and I have, but obviously we brought you up to well, didn´t we? Duty and family above everything else.”

 

And just like that, Mummy´s attitude changed completely, it turned from profound and caring, to frivolous, “So, which colour do you think Sherlock would prefer for the nursery, yellow? I mean he is always liked bees. Oh darling, I am here talking about colours, and I bet you have to go back to London, what with all your obligations at work and everything else. Run along honey, I will not take offence.”

 

“Goodbye Mummy, I will call you soon”

 

“Please do.”

 

And with that Mycroft left his childhood house, having seen a new side of both of his parents. He just wanted to get home to analyse the day´s events. It always surprised him to realize that, in his mind, his London flat was _home_ , even if no one was expecting him there, well at least not yet.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mycroft revels his wedding plans to Sherlock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the next chapter, hope you like it, I would love to here from you, just saying. 
> 
> Any way I would like to thank to everybody that has left kudos, they mean a lot to me. :-)
> 
> BIG THANK YOU to Krefftii for helping me out with this, your kind comments and encouragment keep me writting this. :-)

Chapter 5

 

“Sherlock!!! For God´s sake, please stop pacing!!! You are driving me crazy, not to mention the fact you will ruin the rug.”

 

“But he can´t have her John!!!” whined Sherlock plopping on the coach and burying his face in a cushion.

 

“Ok, Sherlock, we have talked about this. I am not… _connected_ with the John at your Mind Palace. So whatever conversation you had with him, you must repeat to me if you want me to understand what you are talking about.”

 

“Oh, what a waste of time!!!” yelled Sherlock with his face still buried in the cushion.

 

“Sherlock…”

 

The young omega turned his face to look at John and said, “Tomorrow is Itzel´s date with Mycroft.”

 

“So it is a date date?”, asked John.

 

Sherlock glared at him but continued explaining: “Yes it is a date, and not just any date, he is going to propose.”

 

“What? But he barely knows her”

 

Sherlock just looked at John and raised an eyebrow.

 

“Oh, right, arranged marriages and all that. But I do not think Itzel fits the _profile_ to become Mrs. Holmes. I mean your parents obviously expect Mycroft to marry a young omega who hasn´t gone past her second heat.”

 

“No, she definitely doesn´t fit my parents’ ideal, but she certainly has qualities Mycroft wants. She is not a teenager, she isn´t needy or emotional and even when she wants to have children, she doesn´t want to have them in the near future. And before you ask, I know he is going to propose because I followed him today, he went to the bank. He doesn´t go to the bank, he always sends one of his lackeys. The only reason he would go personally is to retrieve something from his safety box. When he got out I realized he had gone for grandmama´s engagement ring, since he wasn´t carrying a big package and he did not require extra security to accompany him. That told me he took out something small, something important but not necessarily expensive, something to do directly with him and not with the family, therefore, I concluded he had gone for the ring.”

 

“Oh, do you think Itzel will accept?”

 

“Yes, Mycroft will make her an offer she will not be able to refuse.”

 

“You made him sound like a mafia godfather.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing love, don´t mind me. Please go on”

 

“Well I bet he will offer her everything she wants: the opportunity to finish her career, to get a job…”

 

“So…you are afraid he won´t fulfil his promises when the time comes?”

 

“No John, it is not that. Of course Mycroft will keep his promises. It is that...he can´t have her, she was my friend first!!!”

 

“Sherlock, Itzel will still be your friend. Mycroft won´t forbid you from seeing each other.”

 

“He will break her.”, whispered Sherlock

 

“Sherlock, please stop talking in riddles, you are worrying me. Do you think Mycroft could hurt Itzel? That he could be abusive.”, while saying this, John sited beside Sherlock and hugged him

 

“No, of course not.”, mumbled Sherlock against John´s neck.

 

John was a little lost, but he realized it would be best to let Sherlock order his ideas, if he kept interrupting, they would be talking in circles all night long. Sherlock would talk when he was ready.

 

After taking a deep sigh, Sherlock said “Mycroft thinks he has Itzel all figured out, he thinks he knows exactly what she wants and needs and therefore is ready to provided it all to her, in exchange of her becoming the perfect trophy wife and, in time, the mother of his heir; but he doesn´t realize Itzel is a sensitive person, she needs more than companionship or friendship, she needs…she needs what we have John.”

 

“Oh my love, you know perfectly well Itzel is in a difficult situation, she will end up in an arranged marriage. At least with Mycroft she would do some of the things she wanted. Your brother isn´t a bad alpha, he is actually a decent bloke, what with the way he is always trying to protect you, and all the things he has done to make sure your parents don´t interfere in our life. Who knows, perhaps they will come to care for each other.”

 

“Don´t you see it John? Mycroft is a _decent bloke_ because he has to be, because it is expected of him, not because he cares. Mycroft doesn´t do sentiment. It will be ok for a while, Itzel will be content with what she has, but seeing Mycroft being a _decent bloke,_ will make her want more, will make her care for my brother, and when she realizes Mycroft doesn´t feel anything for her, she will break.”

 

“Sherlock, you can´t be that pessimistic. I know for you Mycroft is _The Iceman_ , but he is human just like the rest of us, a very intelligent, manipulative and creepy human, but a human nonetheless. Maybe Itzel is what he needs to realize that.”

 

“For everybody´s sakes, I hope your romantic predictions come to be, even if my analysis points to another conclusion.”

 

“Your analysis?”, laughed John, leave it to Sherlock to believe that feelings and relationships were something that could be measured, analysed and predicted…as if. Oh, how much he loved his crazy genius. ”What do you say if we conduct a different kind on analysis in our bedroom, husband mine?” whispered John in Sherlock´s ear.

 

And without a word, Sherlock got up from the coach and ran to their bedroom, taking off his clothes as he went. When John reached their room, he found his husband, his omega totally naked and...deeply asleep. Well, no one could blame John, he had to use every trick in the book to make Sherlock sleep. For days his young omega had been stressed out, sleeping barely a couple of hours each night. John hadn´t asked anything, he knew Sherlock would tell him in his own time; and as always, that was exactly what had happened.

 

John was surprised to learn the cause of Sherlock´s worries. Yes, he knew that underneath all that talk about logic and reason, and his constant complaints of how boring and idiotic the people around him were; Sherlock was a good and caring human being, but he found it difficult to connect with others; the way his brain worked often made him skip social niceties, he saw no point in them…and add to that how cold his parents were…Sherlock grew up feeling like the odd man out, whenever he tried to reach out, the kids his age would ridicule him in that cruel direct way only children can do and the adults considered him rude and…threatening, after all who wants an 8 year old child parroting one’s secrets. And that is why Sherlock´s closeness with Itzel didn´t stop amazing him. Maybe it was the fact that at the time they met, they both felt like outsiders, Sherlock because of his genius and Itzel because of her mother.

 

It warmed John´s heart to see them together, with Itzel Sherlock allowed himself to be a carefree, young omega. They would tease each other like children, watch cheezy movies together, eat junk food, talk about books and music and even fashion; once he even caught them singing along to a karaoke app Itzel had on her phone, something about being a butterfly but stinging like a bee…No wonder Sherlock would sing to it, he was fascinated by bees.

 

Yes they were good for each other, Sherlock knew he could say what he wanted, how he wanted and Itzel would take it in stride, while Itzel knew she could be herself with Sherlock, cause he didn´t expect her to behave as the perfect omega.

 

While he got into bed with his omega, John couldn´t help but pray to whoever was listening “Please, for once let me be right, I hope Mycroft and Itzel´s bonding will bring them happiness If Mycroft hurts Itzel in anyway, Sherlock will never forgive his brother, and he will always resent Itzel for not being brave.”

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

“John!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone is at the door.”, shouted Sherlock to John, who was just getting out of the shower.

 

“Yes Sherlock, I´ve heard someone knocking at the door, why don´t you open it?”, answered John heading to their bedroom to get dressed, “You are closer to the door and you, unlike me, are dressed and not just wearing a towel.”, shouted back John, firmly closing their bedroom door.

 

“But I don´t want to open it” cried out Sherlock.

 

“Then don´t” yelled John.

 

“But he won´t leave until we open the door!!!”

 

With a frustrated sigh, John got dressed quickly and went to open the door. “You owe me big time for this Sherlock”, grunted John when he passed the coach where his husband was sitting, but as soon as he opened the door, he understood Sherlock´s attitude, and erased the debt from his mind, after all once their guest left, his omega will be in quite a state…

 

”Hello Mycroft, please come in”

 

“Thank you John, good morning. I hope I haven´t interrupted anything.”

 

“No, don´t worry”, answered John while Sherlock just snorted.

 

“Brother mine, how have you been?” asked Mycroft while sitting on the chair in front of his brother.

 

“Please Mycroft, no need for pleasantries. Why are you here?”

 

For once, John didn´t intervene. He knew why Mycroft was here, and he had a feeling, it was something that the two brother had to work out on their own. How funny that the _hurt her and I´ll kill you_ talk was between Sherlock and Mycroft and not between Sherlock and Itzel. But he couldn´t blame his husband, Mycroft, for all the love he had for his brother, had always been distant and cold.

 

“You followed me the day I went to the bank. Oh don´t look so surprised, you know I have always been better than you at the spy game.”, said Mycroft, smirking at Sherlock.

 

“Well then you know, I am aware of your intentions toward Itzel and you know I don´t approve.”

 

“Yes brother, but you seem to forget you have no says in this. Itzel´s Father has already agreed. Of course if she refuses my proposal, I won´t insist, but I think we can come up with an agreement beneficial for both of us; I won´t be an oppressive alpha, and I´m sure she will be a pleasant companion and not behave like a needy omega.”

 

“You don´t deserve her.”

 

“Sherlock…”

 

“NO”, interrupted Sherlock, “You don´t know her, you will never be able to understand her. She is full of sentiment, something you despise and see as a weakness. You will never be her _companion_ **,** for you she will always be nothing but the trophy wife, a doll to parade around when you need to be seen as a respectable bonded alpha.”

 

“I won´t lie to her Sherlock, I won´t promise something I can´t give, and if she accepts, it is not for you to judge.”

 

“You lie to yourself brother mine. You really think you are doing her a favour, saving her from marrying an _oppressive alpha_. SHE DOESN´T NEED TO BE SAVED, she needs to be pushed in the right direction so she finds her own way. Go, propose to her, she will say yes, her family obligations were drilled into her by his grandfather from a young age. No matter what her mother tried to teach her.”, said Sherlock defeated.

 

At this moment, John could smell the distress coming from his omega, so he approached the brothers and as politely as he could, he asked Mycroft to leave.

 

Mycroft knew that staying would be a mistake, so he got up to leave, but before exiting John and Sherlock´s flat, he turned to his brother and said “I assure you Sherlock, I am not doing this to hurt you or her. Despite all my shortcomings, I can see Miss Cedeño really cares for you, and only for that I am already in her debt, so I´ll do whatever is in my power to make her life a pleasant one.”

 

As soon as Mycroft left, John sat Sherlock on his lap and hugged him tightly, and while he caressed his curls, he wished with all his heart that Mycroft and Itzel made the right choices, not only for themselves, but for Sherlock too. Yes it was a selfish way of thinking, but the truth was that his priority was Sherlock. John wasn´t willing to stand by and watch those two screw up and hurt Sherlock as collateral damage, no he would kill them before that happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song that Johns heard Sherlock and Iztel singing is "Roar"-Katy Perry, I think the lyrics can fit the things they are going through as omegas in this story.


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock and Itzel talk about arrenged marriages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story reached 1002 hits!!! And that has made me so happy, that I decided to post an extra chapter this week, so besides my weekly update on Wednesday, here is this new chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
> 
> As always, thanks to Krefftii for being the beta of this story. You are great!!!!

\------------------------------------------------

“Why is everybody looking at me funny?” asked Sherlock while he walked with Itzel along the school halls.

 

“Well Sherlock, you are constantly talking about what a waste of money, space and time it is for University to teach humanities, instead of focusing on real Science, so the fact that you are willingly visiting the part of campus where those careers are taught is surprising, perhaps they think you are planning our eviction in order to build better labs.”, laughed Itzel.

 

Sherlock raised an eyebrow and said perplexed, “Your classrooms and dormitory are in this part of campus. We are often together.”

 

“You can say it Sherlock: _we are friends that hangout_ , come on I know you can say it, it won´t hurt I promise.”, joked Itzel, and she couldn´t help but dissolve into giggles when Sherlock turned to her raising both eyebrows.

 

“Oh, whatever.”, continued Itzel, “The fact is that even when we spend time together, we never do that here, I am usually the ones who comes looking for you to your side of campus or we meet in _neutral_ grounds.”

 

“Hadn´t noticed that.”, mumbled Sherlock.

 

“Yes, so much is obvious. So are we going to talk about of the reason that brought you here, or are we going to ignore the elephant that has been following us around campus.”

 

“You are trying to be funny.”, pointed out Sherlock

 

“Yes.”

 

“Don´t do that”, said Sherlock, plopping on the grass under the shade of a big tree. Itzel sat beside him. They stayed silent for a while, just watching the other students pass by.

 

Leaning on Sherlock and placing her head on his shoulder, Itzel sighed and whispered, “Ok, Sherlock…just say it, say your brother is a pompous ass, but a brilliant one and you think I shouldn´t marry him because my intellect isn´t up to par with his. Tell me it would be a huge mistake because I am a sentimental fool and your brother is the Iceman. Come on, tell me all the logical reason why I shouldn´t marry him.”

 

“So you do know he is going to propose to you tonight.”

 

“Yes…When he asked me out, I was of baffled and very much in denial. For a while, I thought he just wanted to talk about you. I was afraid that after the way I behaved at the New Year´s Party he would ask me to stay away from you, but then I realized that if he wanted to threaten me, he would just have kidnaped me or something. Right? He wouldn´t have bother asking my Father´s permission to take me to dinner. But I couldn´t face the other possibility…after all he is Mycroft Holmes, _The Bachelor_ , he could have picked his omega among royalty. Why would he give me a second thought, much less consider me as a prospect to marry? But then I realized _he is_ Mycroft Holmes, he doesn´t date for the sake of dating…”.

 

“Why do you want me to enumerate the reasons you shouldn´t marry Mycroft, when you have already decided you are going to accept?”, grumbled Sherlock

 

“Please don´t be angry with me Sherlock. I know you don´t understand why I am doing this, but, will it be so terrible to have me as a sister in law?” asked Itzel, while she took hold of Sherlock´s hand and entwined their fingers.

 

“You are taking the easy way out, you are stronger than this, you can say no to your family, why do you crave their approval so much?”, insisted Sherlock, but to Itzel´s relief he didn´t push her away, if anything, he held her hand tighter.

 

“I don´t know, maybe because they are my family?”, replied Itzel sarcastically. “I love them…I love Father, I want him to be proud of me…I don´t know Sherlock, I just don´t know. Besides, yes, I want a life of my own, a professional career but I also want a family, I want to have a partner, to have children…Is that so wrong? Why do people who talk about omega´s rights so shocked when one of us expresses their desire to marry and have children? Don´t they say we are free to do what we want? Then why should we conform to their ideal of what a liberal omega should be?”

 

“You do realize Mycroft won´t be your _partner_ in the sense you mean, right? What you are going into isn´t a marriage, it is a business deal. Will you be able to live with that?”

 

“Well, as I have told you before Sherlock, not all of us are as lucky as you. What you and John have, it is special, please don´t laugh at me, but, I think your relationship is almost magical, you know, written in the stars, what fate wanted for you, etc. etc. What you have is true love, and as much as I have dreamed about it I believe my stars aren´t aligned in the correct way. Your brother is a decent man, I think we could be good together, you know, build a relationship based on respect, trust, companionship...”.

 

“My brother is worse than I am at… _interaction_. I rarely tell John I…love him, even if that is the biggest truth in my life…You often make fun of the fact that I can´t bring myself to call you…friend, even if that is what you are to me. So, once again Itzel, will you be able to live with that? Knowing that in the best-case scenario Mycroft would get to regard you as an agreeable companion and that even if you two reach a level of closeness similar to friendship, he will never actually tell you he cares about you? Not to mention the fact that because of work he will be gone more often than not.”

 

“Yes Sherlock, I think I could live with that. I´m not going into this blindly. I know Mycroft´s priority is his work, and it is not like I will fall in love with him. It is an arranged marriage for Heaven sake´s, I know what that entitles.”

 

“What we know about something and how we feel about something are too very different things, you told me that.”

 

“Seriously? You have to stop that. I used to be the expert on emotions, you can´t take my place.” Itzel righted herself, turned to Sherlock, combed his curls, looked directly into his eyes and said calmly: “We will be fine Sherlock, you don´t have to worry. I promise, no matter what, nothing will change between us, we will always be friends.”

 

“Even if my brother breaks your heart? I guess that if that happens you will not want to spend time with someone who reminds him of you”.

 

“Sherlock!!! I just said, I´m not going to fall in love with him, I may have some issues but I won´t go and project them on your brother. Besides, what if it is the other way around? What if I am the one who breaks Mycroft´s heart?”, joked Itzel shoving Sherlock playfully.

 

“Really, as if…Haven´t I told you many times that my brother doesn´t possess a heart?”, snickered Sherlock.

 

“Oi, that is my future husband you are talking about!”

 

“Get used to it, I´m sure you will hear worse things being said about him.”

 

“Oh God!!! The gossip!!! Our marriage will be under the microscope for a long time, wont it?”

 

“Well, not for a long time, but for as long as you both shall live…”

 

“Jaja very funny. Just because of that you will have to help me chose my wedding dress and the cake.”

 

“What!!!!!!!!!!! Haven´t you got family and friends to help you with that?”, shouted Sherlock, standing up with a jump.

 

“I will leave to them the organization of the wedding, I really don´t care much about the when, where or how, as long as I´m wearing a dress that makes me look good, and the cake is delicious, I will be fine, and that is why _You_ will help me with that. Do you think Mycroft would like to supervise the arrangements? Oh God, I´m going crazy, he hasn´t even proposed and I´m already planning the wedding. I mean, really, what if he doesn´t…”

 

“He will.”, stated Sherlock seriously and without trace of a doubt.

 

Fearing the light mood would be lost once again, Itzetl also got up and linked her arm with Sherlock, pulling him towards the cafeteria, “Lets go grab something to eat. I need coffee and something sweet, if I am going to survive till dinner. And while we are at it, you will send your brother a message and ask him where we are going, because I haven´t the slightest idea of what to wear…”

 

“I´m not sending a message to my brother.”, protested Sherlock

 

“Yes you are, or I will tell John what happened to his favourite sweater.”, replied Itzel poking Sherlock on the side

 

“You wouldn´t dare.”, gasped Sherlock

 

“Try me, I´m desperate, your brother has already seen me commit a fashion crime, I won´t repeat the same mistake.”

 

“Fine.”

 

Once they buy their drinks and food and find a place to sit down, Itzel watches Sherlock send a message, and it isn´t till that moment that she realizes that asking Sherlock to contact Mycroft was an enormous mistake, really what was she thinking!!!

 

When Sherlock´s phone pings signalling an incoming message she dreads the answer, especially when after checking his phone all Sherlock does is snort.

 

“Well, what did he said?”

 

Sherlock just rolls his eyes and shows her the message:

_Can´t you guess, brother dear? MH_

 

“Sherlock!!!!!!!!!!!”, whines Itzel.

 

“He is taking you to a nice Italian Restaurant, wear a nice dress, it will be fine.”

 

“ _Wear a nice dress_ ”, mimics Itzel and almost at the same time she receives a message on her phone, from an unknown number. She reads it, it is form Mycroft.

 

_Itzel, this is my number in case you would like to contact me in the future._

_My brother is not a good messenger. MH._

 

“You Holmes...Well I think I better star getting used to the idea that I will never again have a secret.”

 

“Welcome to the family”, smiled Sherlock.

 

“Oh, just hurry up, you are coming back with me to my dorm room to help me choose a _nice dress._ ”

 

“Fine, but you can always wear the dress you took to the New Year´s party”. After Sherlock said that, they just looked at each other and started laughing like crazy, and it was at that moment that Sherlock knew, that yes, Mycroft´s and Itzel´s marriage will be a disaster, but their friendship will survive that, so he promised himself he wouldn´t interfere, no matter what.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And finally, Mycroft and Itzel meet for dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of you who have left kudos, bookmarked or subscribed to this story, it means a lot!!! Really, and just to remind you, I would love to know what you think, so feel free to comment ;)
> 
> Krefftii, thanks for being an awesome and patient beta, don´t know what I would do without your help. xoxoxo

Chapter 7

 

“Ok Sherlock, lets choose a dress.” said Itzel rummaging through her closet.

 

“Again, why am I helping you?” groaned Sherlock plopping on Itzel´s bed.

 

“Because if you don´t I will tell John what you did to his favourite sweater. I am sure you still have the cinders”, snickered Itzel.

 

“Fine!!! I need to see your options.”

 

“Well, what about this one”, said Itzel pulling out a dress.

 

“Really? Pink with polka dots? NOOO”, huffed Sherlock.

 

“Hey, it is pretty.”

 

“NOOOO”

 

“Ok, ok,” placated Itzel while reaching for another dress, it was strapless but had a nice matching jacket. “What about this one, light blue. On second thought no, I don´t want people thinking I was trying to match it to Mycroft´s eyes or some other nonsense like that. God knows they are going to talk enough as it is…Mmhh, oh, what about this one?”

 

“Yes, I think that one will do. Simple, elegant and a nice colour.”

 

“Fine, now shoes….black or dark blue”, mumbled Itzel why dropping to her knees in order to look for shoes.

 

“Oh, no you are alone on that one, I was blackmailed into helping with the dress and that is it. No threat will make me help you further.” yelled Sherlock while heading for the door.

 

“Please Sherlock, please…don’t leave.”, but it was too late, Sherlock had already escaped, slamming the door on his way out. “Great… Don´t panic Itzel, you can do this!!! Oh for Heaven´s sakes, I´ve attended enough dinners to know what to wear!!! And now I am talking to myself. This date is going to be great…”

 

\---------------------

“Itzel?” called someone while knocking at her door.

 

“Yes, come in, it is open.” Said Itzel while putting the last touches on her make up

 

“Good evening Itzel.”

 

“Good evening Lady Lorain, you are going to be my chaperon?” In any other circumstances, Itzel would have been surprised, to see the older omega at her doorstep, for the last couple of years Lady Lorain only had chaperoned la cremé de la cremé, but well she was dating a Holmes, so it was expected.

 

“Yes dear. Oh, but don´t you look beautiful?”

 

“Thank you, I wasn´t sure what to wear, this is my first...formal date”.

 

“Don´t worry everything will be fine, just breathe…No need to be nervous.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes, believe me, I have chaperoned at least a hundred dates and every time an alpha is serious I get a certain feeling, I´m not sure what it is, maybe the tone of voice of the alpha sire when he requests our attendance…Anyway, I can hear wedding bells in your future my dear, believe me.”

 

Itzel only smiled at that, she knew Lady Lorain was trying to be comforting, but her comment only made her more nervous.

“Well, come on lets head downstairs, punctuality is important my dear girl”

 

“Yes of course”.

 

As soon as they reached the entrance they saw a back car approach; it parked in front of them and then the chauffer opened the door and out came Mycroft Holmes.

 

“Lady Loraine, Itzel, good evening, I hope you haven’t been waiting for long.”

 

“No Mr. Holmes we just arrived, do not worry yourself.” Answered Lady Lorain, Itzel remained quiet and simply nodded her head to Mycroft, she wasn´t supposed to talk to him, till Lady Lorain explained to Mycroft the _rules_ of the date. They all knew them by heart, but it was part of the _ritual._ As soon as the rules were settled their date would start for real, and they would be able to interact.

 

“I am glad to hear that, please if you would get into the car so we can head to our destination.”

 

“Yes of course Mr. Holmes, but before that I must inform you of the rules for this date.”

 

“Certainly”

 

“Oh please, don´t look so serious”, smiled Lady Lorain kindly. “First of all let me tell you that I know you are both adults and, that as far as I am concerned, your behaviour has always been exemplary, nevertheless as members of society we must abide to certain conventions in order to avoid misunderstandings. So yes, you need space in order to enjoy your evening but propriety dictates for me to be present during all the time you spend together, of course I will keep a respectful distance so you can speak freely, but I will not let you out of my sight, not even for a moment. Mr. Holmes you better remember that even if certain touches are allowed, like holding hands and linking arms, I will be observing all your interactions and if at any given moment I consider your proximity turns inappropriate I will take my charge and leave. Understood?

 

“Definitely Lady Loraine. But you can be sure that I hold Itzel in the highest regard and I would not dare doing something that could damage her in anyway.”

 

“Good Mr. Holmes, that was exactly what I was expecting to hear you say. Now shall we.”

 

“Yes, please” Mycroft held the door open and the two omegas got into the car, first Lady Loraine and then Itzel. That way Mycroft could sit beside the young omega, while leaving a respectful distance between the two, which wasn´t difficult considering how spacious the car was.

 

When they arrived at the restaurant, Mycroft first accompanied Lady Lorain to her table, which was conveniently place a couple of meters away from theirs, so she could see them, but not hear what they were talking about; ant then he lead Itzel to their table.

 

“It is a very nice place.”

 

“I´m glad you think so. I know that even if you like Italian food, you prefer sushi, but I am afraid I do not share your taste for it.”

 

“Don´t worry I am sure the food here is delicious.”

 

“Yes it is.”

 

At that moment the waiter approached and left the menus so they could order. Itzel asked Mycroft’s opinion on the dishes that grabbed her attention, since it was obvious he visited this place often. Once they decided what they wanted to eat and the waiter had taken their order, an uncomfortable silence feel between the two them, so Mycroft decided to break the strange mood by complimenting Itzel, “You look very beautiful tonight, Itzel.”

 

“Thank you, I am sorry for making Sherlock text you, but I wasn´t sure what to wear…I am still embarrassed from what I wore at the New Year´s Party. That wasn´t really my style and I didn´t want you to think that I…Well, guess that isn´t important now.”

 

Mycroft just smiled reassuringly at her but before he had a chance to say anything the waiter approached with their first dish. After that, conversation just flowed, they talked about food, about the places they had travelled to, about what they had both done in the lasts years and a little about Sherlock. They discovered they both liked to read and watch movies, and even if their tastes weren´t exactly the same, they had some things in common. Itzel was surprised to discover that Mycroft´s guilty pleasure was action movies and Mycroft was surprised to learn that Itzel enjoyed pop music and wasn´t even a little ashamed about it.

 

“Sorry no, classical doesn´t do it for me, I like pop music, it is fun, and despite what people think some of the songs have meaningful lyrics.”

 

“We will have to agree to disagree my dear.”

 

Itzel just rolled her eyes at Mycroft.

 

Finally dessert was there. So far they had avoided any topic that could lead to mentions of marriage. Basically, they didn´t make any reference to each other´s age or family; they knew those topics would turn the conversation to serious matters. But as much as Itzel was enjoying spending time with Mycroft, she could feel a certain tension between the two of them, and deciding that enough was enough, during a brief pause in conversation while they were enjoying their desserts, she asked Mycroft shyly: “Why did you invited me to dinner Mycroft?”

 

“I think you know the answer to that. But considering the fact that you just gave me an opening, I will be direct: I invited you to dinner in order to ask you to marry me, I will be honoured if you accept.”

 

“Why do you want to marry me of all the omegas you could have chosen?”

 

“As much as I respect my family´s ideals and traditions, I refuse to marry an omega who could be my child. Of all the single omegas I have met, you are one of the few who is close to my age, and of those few, you are the one I find the most appealing. I think you are not only attractive, but also intelligent and mature, the fact that you really care for Sherlock is also something in your favour, it proves you are sensitive, willing to see past a person´s faults.”

 

“You make me sound like quite the catch. But I am sure you are also aware of my _defect_ s”

 

“Of course, I know of your fertility problem, and I also know you won´t be a traditional omega, that finishing University and getting a job are things you want. But if I must be honest even those _defects_ as you called them, are convenient for me. Yes I do want an heir, but I don´t really want lots of children, two or three will be enough, and the fact that you want to have a job is convenient for me, as I was concerned you may come to resent me for the time I spend at work. Besides I have come to realize that idleness is bad for the mind.”

 

“So, my Father and you have drawn a contract?”

 

“Yes, but we have yet to formalize it, your Father wants you to read it first so you can eliminate or add what you want, he was most insistent about that. Once the contract meets your expectations, and mine, obviously, we would sign and register it. Here is the contract, it is a basic one really, because, as I told you, your Father wants you to be the one to make the negotiations.”

 

“I can´t believe this.”

 

“Your Father loves you Itzel”

 

“He does, doesn´t he? But that is not the only surprising thing, but also the fact that you would accept Father´s terms, it is unheard of for an omega to negotiate her own prenup.”

 

“Well, I have often heard I am an _unusual_ alpha. Please read the contract and tell me what you think”

 

Itzel took a few minutes to read the contract, she had brought a pen with her and used it to mark certain paragraphs and add little notes, once she had finished, she returned the contract to Mycroft.

 

It took him mere seconds to look over the changes and additions made by Itzel, they were all acceptable terms, although there was something that really surprised him. “You lowered the amount I appointed for you as monthly expenses as well as the age to begin trying for a pregnancy.”

 

“Yes. It was too much money, and if I am going to get a job, I will have an extra income, I don´t see the need for more. About the age for having a child, well I think 26 is a good age to start trying, I mean with my fertility problems a couple of years more may only complicate everything. Is that a problem for you?”

 

“No not at all. So we will get married 6 months from now, until the wedding day we would have at least two dates each month, your family will organize the wedding per your mother´s stipulations and after the wedding you will take a semester off University in order to settle into our marriage.”

 

“Exactly. Mycroft, there are a couple more things I would like to discuss, I just didn´t want to write them down.”

 

“Go ahead my dear, I am listening to you”

 

“It´s about more _personal_ aspects. I know this is an arranged marriage and I know what it entitles, we aren´t promising each other undying love, but I think we could try to build a good life together, after all we will be living under the same roof, so my basic requests is for us to be honest with each other. I don´t think this will work if we are too polite and avoid pointing out the things we do that annoy each other, nor will it will be useful to sugar-coat the truth. And you don´t have to worry about me taking things the wrong way and becoming emotional, I´ve dealt with Sherlock long enough”, she said jokingly

 

“Fine my dear, I think that is a sensible request, anything else?”

 

“Well yes, about my heats.” At this point Iztel blushed like never before in her life, but she continued, this was important. “Once we bond, I…expect to spend all of them with you, and because of that I also expect us to develop some kind of physical closeness outside my heats, so we don´t feel awkward during or after that time, is that too presumptuous of me?”

 

“I think you make a good point, I understand that due to your fertility problems you can´t take suppressants, so although you are on birth control, you have regular heats. I have also heard that spending heats alone is quite taxing for an omega, so once married, it is logical for you to expect your alpha to take care of you during that time. As I said, I find you very attractive, and considering we don´t only have to bond, but at some point in time conceive an heir, intimacy between us is a given, but there is no need to rush things, I don´t want to overwhelm you.”

 

After that they finished their dessert and agreed on arranging a meeting with their parents as soon as possible, to set a day for their engagement party. Mycroft took out his grandmother´s engagement ring and asked Itzel to try it on. As he had thought, it was too big for her, that is why he had brought it today, he had meant to give her the ring at the engagement party and not sooner, but he loathed the idea of giving her a ring on that day that didn´t fit. Once he made the proper calculations, he pocketed the ring once again.

 

Once that was done, Mycroft got up, collected Lady Lorain from her table and then lead both omegas to the exit. The drive to campus went by in a blur for Itzel, as protocol dictated, Mycroft, accompanied by Lady Loraine escorted Itzel to the entrance of her dorm room and then, she was taken to her room by Lady Loraine, while Mycroft waited outside.

 

“Thank you for accompanying us Lady Loraine.”

 

“It was my pleasure darling. The food was excellent, don´t you think”

 

“Yes…It is late, will you be staying in one of the guests’ rooms here?”

 

“No a friend of mine is a teacher, and she invited me for a late tea when I returned from my duties as chaperon. So I will be heading there, I am sure Mr. Holmes won´t mind escorting me, since the professors’ lodgings are so close from here. Well I am off. Congratulations on your engagement darling”, said Lady Lorain winking at Itzel.

 

“Thank you”, answered Itzel hoping she hadn´t sounded too uncertain.

 

Once Lady Loraine descended the stairs, an idea crossed her mind, it was risky, but she had already broken too many rules to care, so quietly she left her room and exited the dormitory.


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mycroft and Itzel test how compatible they are...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! So here is this weeks update, it is shorter than previos chapter, but I hope you like it, I would love to know what you think about it ;-)
> 
> Big enormous hug for Krefftii, thanks for your support!!! And also for being a patient beta.
> 
> Just to be clear, English isn´t my native language, and often after Krefftii has done beta reading for me I play a little bit with the chapters, so if you notice any error or aren´t sure what I mean just let me know ;-)

 

“Mycroft”, she called quietly, as soon as she saw him return from the direction of the building that housed the professors.

 

“Itzel, you should be in your room”

 

“I know, but I wanted to see you before you left, I knew you would have to come back this way in order to reach your car”.

 

“Not a traditional omega right? So what is it you wanted to see me for my dear?”

 

“I was wondering…will you…will you kiss me?”

 

“Itzel this was just our first date, we can wait.”

 

“I don´t want to wait. Please…I´ve never…Please…”

 

Mycroft looked around, from where they were standing, the probabilities of being seen were very low, so he approached Itzel, and very delicately he placed his hand on her waist, so she could back away, if she wanted. But backing away was the last thing on Itzel´s mind. When she felt Mycroft´s hand on her waist, she gasped, she couldn´t help it, it felt so…electrifying, she felt like she would float away if he let go. She placed her palms on his chest, and she could feel his heart beat and his warmth.

 

This close Mycroft could smell her, so clean so innocent, and he could feel the nervousness, the excitement, rolling from her in waves. He knew he wasn´t supposed to touch her in this way until their wedding day, but he was only human, no matter what everybody thought. He couldn´t refuse her, he didn´t want to refuse her, yes he was attracted to her, that was one of the main reasons he chose her. If he was going to marry, he would at least marry someone to his liking. He could feel her breathing quicken but before giving into her request, he searched her eyes and when he confirmed there wasn´t a trace of a doubt in them, he drew her closer to him, and forgetting all social conventions, he kissed her.

 

It began simple and sweet, just small pecks on her lips, but when she surrounded his neck with her arms and seconds later started caressing his hair, he started licking and nibbling her lips, till she opened her mouth, then slowly, he introduced his tongue into her mouth, coaxing her tongue to move along with his. Soon it wasn´t enough, they needed more closeness, they needed more of each other. Mycroft moulded Itzel´s body to his, he could feel her breasts against his chest, and he was sure that she must be able to feel the beginning of his arousal; Mycroft was seconds away of losing control, but then Itzel moaned and the bubble of desire that had enveloped them burst, making Mycroft remember they weren´t supposed to be doing this.

 

He was surprised of his actions and once again blamed it on his alpha side taking over.

 

“Itzel, it is time for you to go back to your room”

 

“I know”, she said leaning against him, placing her head on his shoulder and burying her nose in his neck. “You smell wonderful.” she whispered, unable to stop herself.

 

He grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger to look into her eyes, then he caressed her bottom lip with his thumb. “You are the one who smells wonderful my dear.”

 

“Mycroft, please…”

 

“No my dear, I don´t think you realize what it is you are asking, you aren´t ready. We aren´t ready, go to your room. I will call you tomorrow, we need to arrange a meeting between our parents.”

 

“Yes, ok, I think you are right, I will be waiting for your call”, and giving him a last lingering peck on the lips, she returned to her room. Once there she sighed happily and thought that yes, maybe this marriage would be more than a cold business deal.

 

\----------------------

 

“Itzel, get up. You have already missed half of your classes today”, said Sherlock trying to untangle her from the blankets.

 

“Don´t wanna”, yelled Itzel burring her head under the pillows. “Go away Sherlock.” She cursed with all her heart the fact that Sherlock could pick locks, and that he was an omega, meaning he could just waltz into her dorm room and no one would try to stop him. Although considering it was Sherlock, he could probably still do that even if he were an alpha.

 

“Please, you are being so... _childish”_ , oh that is Funny, thought Sherlock, I am usually the one being called childish, whatever, “My brother has been trying to reach you all morning, but his calls keep being sent to voice mail, so he _ordered_ me to come visit you and make sure you were alive; like I were one of his lackeys…I would not have come if it were not for the fact I was worried you could have died due to an extended exposure of my brothers horrid presence. In which case I very much wanted to take various samples of your corpse, before anyone came and altered it.”

 

“Glad to know you worry about me. Well now that you have seen that I am very much alive, please go away. Please just leave!!! I´m going to stay here and die of embarrassment. I can´t believe what I did yesterday…”

 

“Was it that bad? I knew my brother was a cold fish!!! I am sure kissing him was quite disgusting.”

 

Hearing that, Itzel climbed from the covers, “Whaaat!!!! How did you…oh I forgot who I was talking too. So yes, I kissed your brother last night or he kissed me I don´t know, but the point is that it was far from disgusting. I really, really liked it, and I behaved like…you know, and I was asking for more…and I was so giddy last night but today when I woke up it all just came crushing down on me, and I realized I acted so, so….Oh my God, just let me wallow in my shame, please!!! Tell your brother to call me tomorrow, I can´t possibly face him now.”

 

“Itzel it was a kiss, you do realize you will have intercourse with him eventually right?”

 

“Oh shut up!!! Mr. I am married and have sex regularly. I know about sex ok, I mean theoretically speaking, I am aware of the _mechanics_ , and yes rationally I knew any kind of _contact_ is meant to be pleasurable, but I…well I didn´t expect it to feel quite so _intense._ I mean having someone _there_ is…mind blowing.”

 

“Itzel you have had heats, how can a kiss have altered you this much.”

 

“I just said it Sherlock, it was the fact that someone was kissing me. My heats…I spend them alone…with toys you know, besides you know that it gets to a point where everything is just a blur. To have someone else touching me, to feel desire out of heat, it was new for me. Really why don´t they let us at least kiss someone before we are betrothed.”

 

“So you never? I mean you are 21 and your mother, I bet she encouraged…”

 

Itzel glared at Sherlock, which wasn´t so effective because well he was a Holmes and she had a bed head and was wearing a prudish slip, the kind worn by grannies.

 

“Fine, no need to get angry. So you followed the rules and never so much as touched someone with sexual intent.”

 

“No…actually I have never even wanted to. But last night, with your brother…I mean he is very attractive…” At that Sherlock made chocking noises, Itzel glared once more at him, she felt she had to defend Mycroft, so she snapped at Sherlock, “Oh he is attractive, you don´t see it because he is your brother. Any way”, continued Itzel less angry now, “knowing he is to become my husband, I just started to wonder how it would be like to kiss him.”

 

For years now she had thought desire was something else, she equated it to the bewildering need she felt during her heat, but now, since that kiss with Mycroft she just felt something resembling a low but constant thumping under her skin, that quickened her breathing without apparent reason.

 

This wasn´t like the all-consuming want that fogged her mind during heat, it was more subtle, but at the same time more intense and constant, perhaps because she was completely aware of it. With heats, she instinctively knew when the need would be over, but with this, she just didn´t know, it felt like the excitement provoked in her body by Mycroft´s touch would always be there, just under her skin, latent, waiting for a simple glimpse or a light caress to explode again and envelope her the way it had last night.

 

Perhaps it was the fact that now her desire was directed to someone specific. It was good, in the big scheme of things, having the idea of her alpha touching her making her skin tingle in excitement and not craw in disgust, but she had to control it, that was why at least for today she couldn´t face Mycroft. He would know just by looking at her. He wouldn´t ridicule nor judge her for that, she was sure; and it wasn´t like she was ashamed of the reactions of her body, not really, but it had been years of supressing any and every idea of physical contact, so now she was feeling like a bashful teenager and had no idea of what to do with herself.

 

“Please Sherlock I can´t, not today. I need to be alone. You don´t even have to contact Mycroft, I promise that as soon as you leave I will send him a message myself, so we can meet tomorrow.”

 

“Ok, I will leave you alone, but you better eat something at some point today. I´ve heard you have to.”

 

“Yes Sherlock, don´t worry. See you tomorrow.”

 

Sherlock got up, but before exiting he held between his fingers the dress Itzel had worn the night before, which had been tangled among Itzel´s pillows. “Mmm. Do you want me to drop your dress at the dry cleaners?”

 

“NOO”, yelled Itzel, pulling the dress from Sherlock fingers and hugging it, “I mean, don´t bother, you have already been most gracious by coming to visit me to make sure I was still alive.”

 

Sherlock raised an eyebrow.

 

Itzel rolled her eyes and shrugged.

 

Sherlock waved dismissively and left.

 

As soon as Sherlock left, she hugged the dress tighter. It still smelt of Mycroft. OH DAMN HER OMEGA NATURE!!!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone was wondering, this is the dress I pictured Itzel wearing for her dinner with Mycroft
> 
> http://www.rosaclara.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2016_9T136_COCKTAIL_ROSA_CLARA_1.jpg


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some needed conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Krefftii, thank you so much for your infinite patience and for your support, you are awesome!!!
> 
> To al my readers, thank you for the kudos and bookmarks, they mean a lot, but don´t forget, I would love to know what you think about this story, constructive criticism is always welcomed.
> 
> Once again, there is mention of cancer, nothing explicit, but guess I should tell you if it is a sensitive topic for any of you.
> 
> \----------------------------------------

Chapter 9

 

After Sherlock left and she stopped feeling like a fool for hugging her dress like a needy omega, Itzel reached for her phone and turned it on. She wasn´t sure what to do, she told Sherlock she would text Mycroft, but she had a feeling that as soon as that text reached Mycroft he would call her…So really what was the point of texting.

 

“Hello? Mycroft?”

 

“Hello Itzel, how are you?”

 

“Is this a good moment? Am I interrupting something important?” stammered Itzel, hoping with all her heart that Mycroft would give her a reason to hang up.

 

“ _How are you Itzel?_ And before you answer, remember you were the one who requested honesty between the two of us.”

 

She took a deep and blurted out what was in her head, “I am a little overwhelmed, what with everything that happened yesterday. I needed time to think and calm down, that is why I turned off my phone.”

 

“I had thought as much. Your father called me, he tried to contact you earlier in the day, without success. Fortunately by the time I received his call, Sherlock had already visited you so I was able to appease your father.”

 

“My Father threatened to punch you didn´t he?”

 

“Well he might have expressed his displeasure at not being able to talk to you this morning, and he also pointed out that I may have caused you distress and that was the reason he couldn´t reach you.”

 

“No sugar-coating the truth. Remember Mycroft?” joked Itzel, surprised at how easy it was talking to Mycroft, well at least on the phone.

 

“My apologies, won´t happen again, and yes, your Father threatened to punch me if I had hurt or upset you in any way.”

 

“So what did you tell him?”

 

“That Sherlock visited you, and you explained to him that after yesterday´s events you decided to sleep in and skip classes today, I also told your Father your phone ran out of charge without you noticing, and that was the reason why you weren´t answering any calls. I clarified I had also been unable to talk to you today. Still, he seemed very worried, so don´t be surprised if he visits you today.”

 

“Thank you for the warning”

 

“Itzel, you really need to talk with your Father. You must stop blaming him for your mother´s death, you know that is not fair or true.”

 

“What I know and what I feel are two completely different things. That is what makes it so difficult to talk to my father. I don´t want to say things I will regret later, things that will hurt him.”

 

“I must say, I find it… _refreshing,_ the fact that you don’t seem at all fazed whenever I deduce you.”

 

“Side effect of a long exposure to Sherlock. Don´t get me wrong, I still think it is brilliant the way you Holmes get into people´s heads, but I guess I am accustomed to it by now. Actually, I find it useful and reassuring when there are things I have difficulty talking about, saves me the pain of actually forming the words but still gives me the comfort of sharing my thoughts and problems.”

 

Hearing this Mycroft thought it would be wise to be honest with Itzel, “I enjoyed our kiss, and I do not regret it. The fact you asked for it, in no way makes me think less of you. On the contrary, it showed you are a strong decided omega, who is not afraid of asking for what she wants. Those traits are important for our future together. I would hate for you to resent me at some point, because I was unable to fulfil your expectations. I am able to see all the smaller details, but sometimes I dismiss them in order to arrange the bigger picture to my liking.”

 

“Thank you for saying all of that. If I learned anything from my mother it was that you should speak up, and tell the people around you what you want, and not just assume they already know, that only leads to misunderstandings. About the kiss, I…was surprised by how much I liked it, I needed time to process it...”

 

“I understand. So, I was thinking next weekend would be a good time for my parents and I to meet with you and your Father, what do you think.”

 

“Yes, that would be agreeable. Considering what you told me before, my Father will be coming later today, I will tell him then. It will give us enough time to make the proper arrangements for dinner at our house next weekend.”

 

“That is not necessary, we can meet at a restaurant, I don´t want you to get into all the trouble of preparing a formal dinner.”

 

“No it is fine, our Cook is marvellous and she loves to prepare enormous fancy meals, she says she gets bored now, since she just cooks for Father. Besides when going against social conventions and etiquette, it is best to pick your battles. Really, you are marrying an older omega who attends University and has fertility problems. I think the least you can do is grant your parents all the social reunions etiquette dictates we must have, before the wedding, especially considering the actual wedding ceremony won´t be the traditional one, which is what your parents would have chosen if they had a say in it.”

 

“Thank you. So, Saturday at eight?”

 

“Yes, we will be waiting for you.”

 

“See you then, and if there is anything you need, just call me.”

 

“Ok, thank you. Bye Mycroft, don´t work too hard.”

 

“Bye Itzel”

 

\-----------------------------------

 

After her call with Mycroft, Itzel went to grab a late lunch at the cafeteria. She was starving! Funny how emotional upheaval always made her hungry, guess it had to do with the fact that her Mom always made cookies to cheer her up. She once mentioned that to some classmate, and she was immediately _diagnosed_ as having an eating disorder. Really from one tiny detail? She just hated how people tended to make stupid generalizations, always trying to categorize everyone and everything.

 

When she returned to her dormitory one of the girls told her, her Father was waiting for her in one of the private sitting rooms. She dreaded the conversation that would take place, but Mycroft was right, it was time she talked with her Father.

 

“Hello Father, I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”, said Itzel coldly while sitting on a chair placed in front of the couch occupied by her father. “I am sorry for not answering your calls, I assume you want to know how my date with Mr. Holmes went, please let me assure you he was a complete gentleman and I enjoyed our time together.”

 

Once again Mr. Cedeño was saddened by his daughter’s transformation, she used to be a warm smiling omega, not this prim lady sitting in front of him, “I am sorry”, sighed Mr. Cedeño defeated.

 

“I…what for?” asked Itzel surprised.

 

“For this last couple of years, your mother´s death, for everything that has gone wrong since, the engagement…For everything. I am sorry Itzel.”

 

“Mum´s death wasn´t your fault”

 

“You think it is.”

 

Itzel didn´t answer she just turned her head and fixed her eyes on the opposite wall.

 

“What is worse is that I blame myself as well. I couldn´t convince her Itzel, I just couldn´t. God knows I tried, but she just refused the treatment, said she preferred a few relatively normal months than a couple of years in and out of the hospital.”

 

“YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME WHEN YOU FOUND OUT, I COULD HAVE CONVINCED HER.”, shouted Itzel. “You lied to me, for months you both lied to me, never telling me what was really wrong with Mum. She kept saying it was just anaemia and you just went along with that. YOU WERE HER ALPHA YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER, IF THAT MEANT BREAKING YOUR PROMISE OF NOT TELLING ME, YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IT.”

 

“Don´t you get it Itzel? Despite what you could think, your mother and I made family decisions together, but when it came to her body, she made those decisions by herself. The doctors didn´t expect her to live more than a couple of years if she underwent treatment, and of course there would have been side effects that wouldn´t let here lead a normal life. She decided she didn´t want that, she thought it would only hurt us to watch her fade away. I tried to push her, I told her that yes it was her body that was suffering the disease, but that it will affect us as a whole, so it must be a family decision, which gave me the right to have a say about what we should do. She didn´t oppose, but she pointed out I wasn´t only her bonded alpha, that I was also your alpha sire. And then it hit me, we couldn´t put you through that. _I_ couldn´t burden you with the responsibility of convincing your mother of accepting the treatment, so we could have her with us a little bit longer.”

 

“Father…”

 

“Please, I still have something to say…I love you but I don´t understand you. I have tried to get close to you since your Mother died, but every attempt I made just drove us farther away. I know you are hurting, but I don´t know how to make it stop, that is why I thought it best for you to get married. That way you would have someone, even in arranged marriages, if the alpha is a decent one, the bond creates certain closeness, a feeling of not being alone. I had been looking for the right kind of alpha for you, when Mycroft Holmes approached me, I just couldn´t let the opportunity pass. It wasn´t because of his wealth or position, please believe me. I saw something in him...That young man, he isn´t the cold bastard he thinks he is; you could be good together, if you try.”

 

“And Grandfather´s constant calls had nothing to do with your decision on marring me off?” asked Itzel.

 

“I won´t lie to you, yes, your Grandfather has been very insistent on the topic, but I could have convinced him to wait till you finished University. Itzel I honestly think this is the best for you right now. If things go as they are, I am afraid you will break down, the way you hide your pain and don´t let anyone comfort you, not even your friend Sherlock.”

 

“Sherlock is a great friend, but he isn´t the comforting type.”

 

“He would be if you let him. You don´t have to be strong all the time.”

 

“Mother was strong, and you said I am like her.”

 

“Strength isn´t the same as hiding your feelings, and in any case I said you are _like_ her, not that you _are_ her. You are like her because you are compassionate and sensitive and you are willing to fight for what you want and for what you think is right; but you have your own ideals, your own likes and dislikes, your own dreams…Itzel…”

 

“I am sorry”, said Itzel abruptly, “I know I am being unfair, blaming you for everything. It was easier you know? The alternative was accepting that yes, once Mum made a decision, no one could change her mind, not even me…About the marriage, I didn´t want to face the fact that I am tired of the constant gossip, well-meant advice and insinuations. Without Mum´s support I just don´t know how to handle that, actually I don´t want to, I just want it to be over… I could have convinced you to wait a few years, but I don´t care anymore, and I was afraid of accepting that, it felt like a betrayal to everything Mum believed in…” chocked Itzel, unable to talk anymore and crying for the first time after her Mother´s death.

 

At that moment Mr. Cedeño got up and hugged his daughter. He hadn´t done that since before his wife´s funeral…He regretted so many things about the way he had been with his daughter, but as much as his wife tried, there were things about himself that he couldn´t change, he was brought up as a traditional alpha, it was drill into him that his job was to protect and provide for his family, that nurturing and comforting was the omega’s job. He didn´t know how to help his daughter, he just hoped Mycroft Holmes would be better at it.


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greet and meet with the in-laws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again to all of you who are still reading this ;-)
> 
> So it has been a few awesome days for me, it was my birthday just a few days ago, and let me tell you turning 39 was great!!! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, even if it is shorter than the previous ones. I would really like to hear what you think, even if you do not enjoy it.
> 
> Finally THANK YOU to Krefftii for being a patient and incredible beta.

Chapter 10

 

The tension between Itzel and her father eased a bit after their talk, it helped them remember they loved each other, even if they didn´t understand each other and Itzel realized that her Father was doing the best he could, given de circumstances. Obviously, she wasn´t over her mother´s death; that will take a long, long time, but right now she didn´t have much time to dwell on that, since she had to organizing the dinner for Mycroft and his parents. For a second the idea of enlisting Sherlock as her helper, crossed her mind, but just for a second, after all, she wanted to give a good impression to her future in laws.

 

So she planned everything with Cook, but before buying or ordering anything, she called Mycroft, she didn´t want to bug him, but really, she couldn´t risk having something at the table his parents didn´t like, or worse, something they were allergic to.

 

The day before the dinner, she decided to skip classes and went home, she was a nervous wreck, so even if she had attended, she wouldn´t have paid any attention to the lectures.

 

It didn´t surprise Itzel when she received a text from Sherlock:

 

_You aren´t stressing about the dress this time? SH_

_Nope. After all it isn´t my decision is it? :p_

_So your Father already bought the white and blue dress for her little princess? SH_

_I guess. He hasn´t arrived home. How shocked do you think your Father will be when he sees me wearing white and blue? :D_

_Don´t mind his reaction. He knows you are a virgin. Well at least technically speaking. SH_

_Guess he isn´t too happy knowing the future Mrs Holmes was deflowered by a toy lol_

_Don´t try to be funny.-SH_

_Ok, I won´t. Thank you for texting. Wish you and John could be here tomorrow night._

_I am glad John and I don´t have to be there tomorrow night.-SH_

_I love you too Sherlock. See you on Monday._

Before retiring to bed, her Father arrived home with her dress. It was beautiful, white and blue, as expected of a _pure_ omega about to be engaged. She wasn´t sure about how she felt wearing such a dress, yes she had never been intimate with anyone, but it had been years since she had needed to tear that stupid flimsy membrane inside of her that symbolized virginity.

 

Mr. Cedeño noticed his daughter’s distress, he wanted to comfort her, but he was afraid of not conveying his feelings properly. In the end, he decide it would be worse to do nothing. So he hugged her, kissed her forehead and whispered into her ear “Only an ignorant fool would discard a diamond thinking it is nothing but a worthless bead. You my girl are a diamond, pure and beautiful, no matter what others think, what you do with your body willingly and responsibly can´t taint it”. Itzel just hugged her Father tightly, she had no words to express what she was feeling.

 

Next day was a crazy marathon, between making sure everything was ready for dinner and getting dressed up; Itzel had no time for anything else.

 

 

Meanwhile, Mycroft had a relatively easy week, he made the proper arrangements to take Friday off and that way he would have some time to get in the right frame of mind to survive the dinner at Itzel´s house. He was sure his Father would not openly insult the Cedeños, but he would surely find an off-hand way to criticize something about the dinner, be it the food, the setting of the table or whatever other rot, and surely that would make Itzel uncomfortable. He had to be prepared, he couldn´t let his instincts run wild at sensing his omega´s nervousness. His omega…he wasn´t sure if thinking of Itzel that way was right or not, he didn´t want to bring unnecessary sentiment into their marriage. However, was it sentiment thinking of her as his omega? Even he, with his level of intelligence couldn´t completely ignore his biochemistry.

 

Mycroft was glad Itzel had the forethought of calling him to confirm the menu as well as the flowers she had chosen for their get-together. Not that she needed his help to plan a dinner, but it showed she was aware that the dinner wouldn´t be an easy affair. His parents would be judging her, so the less room for error the better.

 

On Saturday, Mycroft arrived to his parents’ house with enough time to drive them to Itzel´s house, the ride was a quiet one, there really was nothing to talk about, Mycroft had made a decision, even if his Father didn´t agree with him.

 

Once at the Cedeño’s home, everything went as etiquette dictated. Mycroft and his parents were welcomed by Mr. Cedeño, who led them to the sitting room, where Itzel was waiting for them; to her credit, Violet Holmes reigned over her prejudices and didn´t comment on the fact that Itzel was wearing a white and blue dress, even if the Holmes sire thought she wasn´t really a virgin.

 

They spent a little time in the sitting room, making polite conversation while Itzel offered everybody something to drink; she sat beside her future mother-in-law while the alphas gathered around the chimney. Then, before dinner was served, the alphas excused themselves and left for Mr. Cedeño’s office, where Mycroft formally requested Itzel´s hand in marriage, and once it was granted; they signed the prenup, leaving it for Mr. Cedeño to make the proper arrangements in order to officialise it before the wedding ceremony took place. After that, they re-joined the omegas at the sitting room, where Mycroft presented Itzel with the engagement ring, which she graciously accepted.

 

The dinner wasn´t exactly a pleasant affair, but at least it wasn´t as tense as Mycroft and Itzel feared, both families managed to act politely; although by the time dessert was served, it was obvious Violet Holmes’ patience was wearing thin. So when she refused Mr. Cedeño invitation to drink a glass of whiskey in the library, stating that Siger had been a little sick and she thought it would be best for them to go home early, nobody was surprised, and truth be told, they were all relived. Mr. Cedeño and Itzel accompanied them to the door and said their goodbyes, waiting under the threshold to see their guests off.

 

Mycroft had arranged for two cars to pick them up, so he could go directly home, and forgo having to drive his parents to the Holmes Estate. He said goodbye to his Father and then helped his mother get into the car. Once Mr. and Mrs. Holmes drove off, Mycroft returned with his hosts, and asked Mr. Cedeño a few minutes to talk with Itzel, which he was granted when Mr. Cedeño just smiled and went into the house after saying Itzel, he would be in the library.

 

“I wanted to thank you for a lovely dinner.” said Mycroft holding Itzel´s hand.

 

“Your welcome. I am glad it is over.”

 

“You have nothing to worry about, I assure there was nothing my parents could have objected about. Anyway, I was wondering if you would be agreeable on having lunch with me on Wednesday.”

 

“I would love to. At what time do you need me to be ready?”

 

“I will see you at your dormitory entrance, after your morning classes are over. We can eat at the nearby cafeteria you and Sherlock like to visit.”

 

“That sounds fine, see you then.”

 

“Goodbye Itzel, see you on Wednesday.”

 

“Goodbye Mycroft, don´t work too hard.”

 

 

They had been driving for a while when Siger Holmes said, “I think she is adorable.”

 

Mr. Holmes only huffed

 

“She will be good for Mycroft” insisted Mrs. Holmes

 

“You had better be right for the sake of your son, although I doubt it, she is not…”

 

“Violet stop before you say something you could regret later. She will be the mother of our grandchildren.”

 

“If she ever manages to conceive.”

 

“She will, her medical condition is nothing severe, it will not be too hard for her to get pregnant, although multiple births are out of the question, just like in my case.” hearing that Violet turned a surprised look on her omega. “Oh, do not look so surprised, us omegas have our ways to find out about these things.”

 

They were almost near the Holmes Estate when Siger asked thoughtfully, “What happened to us Violet? Do you remember when we got married? We were so young, I was 16 you were 32, and you would constantly say you would never turn into your Father. Then…life happened, your Father died, you had to take over the Family _business_ and everything changed. You were always busy, you became distant and cold and I, well, I became a socialite. We left our children with a string of nannies even though we said we wouldn´t do that, and when we tried to get close to them it was too late”

 

Siger looked sadly out of the window and after a moment, he said quietly, “Our extraordinary children…for all their strength, there is a part of them that is weak and hurt, they think they are condemned to be alone because no one would accept them as they are. I feel we are responsible for that, we never showed them love or understanding…I am glad Sherlock found John, and I am glad Mycroft found Itzel. Yes John and Iztel don´t have an ancestry traceable to nobility, but they are good and strong people. They see our children for who they are, and they accept them; they know how brilliant our sons are, but they don´t let themselves be intimidated because of it. They certainly know how to brush off our sons’ attitude. I think John and Itzel will be able to show them that yes, they are very intelligent, but that doesn´t necessarily mean they are better than everybody around them.”

 

Violet looked at Siger with a mixture of surprise, regret and longing. This was the omega she had married so many years ago. Sweet, caring, intelligent and understanding. She thought he was lost forever, just as she had lost herself in the whirlwind her life became when she had to become the _British Government_ , perhaps it wasn´t too late, perhaps when Mycroft took over, they could once again be Violet and Siger and not simply Mrs. and Mr. Holmes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can see the dress Itzel wears here:
> 
> https://www.google.com.mx/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjBib_g-pXLAhWB1h4KHUlfCEYQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.robeplus.com%2Fproducts%2Flight-blue-maxi-dress-with-white-lace-details-rm314&bvm=bv.115339255,d.dmo&psig=AFQjCNEeI02EVRXK-M15OL4q9vlFrJ1P2A&ust=1456594276393391
> 
> I know virginity shouldn´t be a big issue anymore, but sadly it is, at least among certain persons, and women are raised believing being a "virgin till marriage" is something that adds value to who they are. Hopefully one day we will live in a world where those things aren´t true, where young girls get to decided what they want to do with their lives, instead of being married to older men who "bought" them in exchange of cattle or beer


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the marriage process begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, to all of you who are reading this, hope you have had a wonderful week. Work has been crazy for me this days, that is why of the late update, but here you have it.
> 
> Krefftii, once again thank you so much for your help, you are an awesome friend.
> 
> lemondropped, welcome!!! I really missed you, you are a great reader, so I hope you enjoy this.
> 
> Once again, I would love to know what you think of this story, feel free to comment.

Chapter 11

 

Come Monday, Mr. Cedeño drove Itzel to campus, and after leaving her at the dorm room; he went to the administrative offices in order to take care of the necessary paperwork related to Itzel´s engagement. It was sad signing the documents that stated that, in a few months, the one responsible for his daughter would be Mycroft Holmes, and once again he hoped he had made the right decision.

 

\----------------------------------------------

 

“So, it wasn´t as terrible as you feared.”

 

“No, I survived to see another day, it is more than I expected…Sorry, I forgot you don´t like it when I am being funny.”

 

“The problem is that you aren´t funny. Anyway, you realize my Father still doesn´t like you, right?”

 

“Yes, I know that, it is a good thing that we won´t be living near them; your Mother was nice, though. I had met him before, but we had never really talked. He is more excited about all the social gatherings before the wedding than I am.”

 

“No doubt, Mummy has always loved social events.”, drawled Sherlock

 

Itzel knew she had made a big mistake mentioning that, Sherlock may not show it, but it was obvious he resented his Mother for ignoring him in favour of becoming a socialite. They walked through campus without a definite destination, Itzel didn´t try to engage Sherlock in conversation again, and he was grateful for that. That was one of the reasons they had become friends, they rarely pushed each other to talk when they didn´t want to, but they wouldn´t just leave, they stayed, showing the other that there was no need to brood alone with their depressing thoughts.

 

It had always been like that between them, even before Sherlock got married and John tried to convince him that it was a _bit not good_ to blurt out everything he could deduce about a person. He could deduce Itzel, like he could everybody else, it was impossible for him to un-observe, but she, just like John, wasn´t put off by his abilities, so in an attempt to be respectful, he waited until she was ready to point out the reasons why her brooding was illogical.

 

They both knew Itzel would never be at the same intellectual level as Sherlock, and she didn´t resent him for that, she believed that nature gifted each person with their own talents, and envying others because they were better than you at something was a waste of time. Being honest, she still wasn´t sure what her talent was, but she hoped to find out someday.

 

“You will have to accept at least five of the invitations that you will receive to different social gatherings.”

 

“You had to mention that right? I was so happy when I turned 17 and I stopped receiving invitations to the various tea parties and events single omegas are expected to attend, because _,_ yes I was single but I already had experienced more than one heat. And obviously I was never invited to the events for married omegas because even thought I had gone through as much heats as them, I lacked a husband, I just didn´t fit any of their _categories_ …I will ask your brother which ones I should accept.”

 

“Ugh, he will chose the most boring ones. Bring the invitations to me I will tell you which ones you should accept.”

 

“Thank you Sherlock, but no thank you. As little as I care about this things, I don´t want to become a social pariah, your brother wouldn´t take that too well, and he is the one I have to live with, remember?”

 

“Fine, but don´t say I didn´t warn you.”

 

Itzel just laughed and hugged Sherlock. They walked together for a little while longer, and then each went their own way.

 

\-------------------------------------------------

 

As planned, on Wednesday Mycroft took Itzel to lunch, they talked about their week as well as the upcoming avalanche of invitations they were likely to receive. Mycroft will be receiving the ones to gatherings which they were expected to attend as a couple, while Itzel will be receiving the ones for tea parties exclusive for omegas. If her mother were alive, she would be the one receiving those invitations. Mycroft advised Itzel which ones to accept and told her not to worry, since his Mother would be happy to accompany her.

 

“By the way, your mother already gave me his number, so we could organize the engagement party, he wants it to be at the Holmes´s Estate, and I think it is a good idea, we couldn´t fit all the guests at my Father´s house.”

 

“As long as you agree with that my dear I see no problem, but if at some point you feel Mummy…” Mycroft was interrupted midsentence by Itzel´s giggles.

 

“Sorry, I just never thought that such a serious alpha as yourself would call his bearer Mummy, and they say you have no feelings Mr. Holmes”, joked Itzel.

 

Mycroft was sure Itzel knew what to expect of an arranged marriage, but still he worried that she could let romantic ideas cloud her judgment, so he answered coldly, “Force of habit my dear, I assure you, I truly do not have feelings, clamming otherwise would be lying. I know my duties and I act according to them, that is all.”

 

Yes, Sherlock had hinted at that, didn´t he? Mycroft was a decent alpha because he had to be, not because he cared, and she had better not forget it. As for the attraction between them, yes it was there, and as convenient as it was, it was something physical, there was no sentiment behind it.

 

“I know what to expect Mycroft. I wasn´t asking for something, I was just joking. I know that, if with time you develop feelings for me, they won´t go beyond acceptance and friendship. Nevertheless I believe there is no reason to be cold and distant with each other…I don´t expect you to be all buddy, buddy with me, but I think it would drive me crazy if you…behave all _gentlemanly_ all the time.”

 

At that last comment Mycroft had to supress a snort, he understood what she was trying to say, there were many alphas who hid behind social conventions and etiquette to _politely_ ignore their omegas, sticking to certain rules that basically ensured that the only time they spent alone together was during heats. “If I understand correctly my dear, you want us to have a more _informal_ relationship”

 

“Yes please, I don´t want to feel like a piece of furniture once we start living together.”

 

“Certainly that wouldn´t be pleasant. Forgive me my dear, perhaps I have not explained myself clearly. I value and enjoy my solitude and I may not understand the importance of sentiment, but I have come to realize that there is merit in spending time with other human beings, it distracts my mind from its usual inner workings.”

 

“Well, I´ll be glad to be a distraction Mr. Holmes”, smiled Itzel.

 

“And talking about furniture, next week I will be making a business trip, and I have arranged for my Mother and you to visit my home at your earliest convenience. That way you can get to see your bedroom and decorate it as you like, I thought it would be more practical than just showing you pictures. It is empty right now, I guess that will give you a better idea for colour schemes and the style for the furniture. There are also a couple of spare rooms you can choose from, in case you want to have a space where you can read or study. And please don´t worry about anything, I have left instructions with my assistant, she will take care of the expenses, as well as of any arrangements needed in case you want to make changes that would require hiring contractors.”

 

Separate rooms, she knew they weren´t going to share a bedroom, she shouldn´t have been so surprised when Mycroft mentioned it... “Thank you, I will call your mother tomorrow, make sure when he is free to accompany me to your home.”

 

 

The six months till the wedding where the shortest and the longest for Itzel. She was so busy attending social gatherings, organizing social gatherings, going out on dates with Mycroft and preparing to move in with Mycroft that she had little time for anything else; but at the same time all those gatherings and preparations seemed to drag forever. And that had her wondering one second where time went, and the next, when will all that would end.

 

She had intended to finish the semester at school, but that proved impossible when she missed more classes that the ones she attended. That had her, for the first time in her life, envying Sherlock, if only she had his brains…Well she was only a mere mortal, there will be time to finish her degree once the timeline established in the prenup permitted her to return to Uni.

 

She was glad that her Grandmother and aunt, who had arrived a month after the prenup was singed, were as excited as Mr. Holmes about the wedding. Thanks to that she could get out of organising that particular _social event._ Who cared if it was the _most important day of her life_? She just didn´t see the importance of choosing the perfect menu, the perfect flowers, the perfect table setting and the perfect everything. Of course, she made good on her thereat to Sherlock, and dragged him all around London to find the perfect dress and the perfect cake, she certainly had her priorities well established.

 

For his part, Mycroft´s routine, as the alpha, wasn´t really altered, yes he had to fit more social gatherings into his schedule than he would have liked, but it was part of the _wedding process_ , as he had named it. He could have gotten out of many of those reunions, but he had realized that Itzel had a point when she had said they must pick their battles. Attending those gatherings and presenting his omega proudly had ended with most of the gossip surrounding their upcoming wedding.

 

For all the time they spent together, there hadn´t been any more intimacies between them, neither was sure why, yes they were never really alone, but Mycroft was sure they could have made a discrete retreat a couple of times, but Itzel seemed too stressed, and he didn’t want to add to that.

 

The last social gathering before the wedding was the engagement party, and it was the ghastliest; not because the fact that omegas and alphas stayed in different rooms, and only got together to share a light brunch; no, it was because that separation had the alphas telling dirty jokes and the omegas whispering uncouth innuendos. Itzel had never attended an engagement party, she was so surprised by the things being said that she was afraid Sherlock had drugged the food, but Siger assured her it was _normal_ for omegas to let their hair down during such a party. Now she understood why single omegas weren´t invited, and why her father used a silly excuse not to come.

 

If Mycroft hadn´t witness this same behaviour at his brother´s wedding, he would have never believed that the prim and proper members of the Holmes Family as well as their friends could display such bad manners. Back then he had been appalled but had held back in order to avoid unnecessary scuffles. But now, he understood John´s reaction, it was HIS OMEGA they were talking about, they had no right to even say her name, they didn´t know her, she was much more than a _breeder_ , she…

 

“Mycroft, what do you say if we go out for a smoke”, and without waiting for an answer, John dragged Mycroft outside.

 

“Thank you John.”

 

“No problem, I understand what you are feeling, and I also understand that you wouldn´t get away with punching one of those assholes, the way I did”

 

“How can we be so insensitive?”

 

“Well, it is easy for an alpha to objectify an omega. We are brought up hearing how they are physically more fragile than us, how it is our responsibility to take care of them, but along the way we twist those ideas, we confuse their fragility with weakness and the obligation to protect them makes us believe we have the right to own them.”

 

“My brother was lucky founding someone like you.”

 

“Well I am glad I found someone like Sherlock, he is brilliant, young and beautiful, and to be honest he is way out of my league. If his circumstances had been different he wouldn´t have chosen an old, jaded alpha like me.”

 

“I think you are wrong. Sherlock would undoubtedly have chosen you no matter the circumstances, I don´t think there is anyone else who can understand him as completely as you do. Thank you John.”

 

“Sentiment Mycroft?”

 

“Not at all John, just stating the facts. This is so tiresome, I am normally able to control my natural impulses, but this constant socialization and Itzel´s nervousness is playing havoc with my hormones.”

 

“Well it is a good thing the wedding is tomorrow, after that you will leave for your honeymoon in order to bond. I am sure after that your biochemistry will settle” said John, but he couldn’t help but think _Poor bastard, could he be more in denial?_ It was obvious Mycroft cared for Itzel, John hoped it didn´t take him too long to realize it; oh he wanted to laugh out loud and cry at the same time, the Holmes brothers were so emotionally underdeveloped...really what kind of parents had Violet and Siger been?

 

 


	13. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And finally, the wedding...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, here is this weeks update. Thank you to all of you who are reading this, I really hope you are enjoying it, please I would love to here what you think, constructive criticism is always welcome, after all English is not my native language and I realize this story kind of took a life of it´s own away from canon.
> 
> Once a again a big hug for Krefftii who is an awesome beta and even a more awesome friend. If you are into Star Trek fandom go read her stories, they are great!!!
> 
> I am so happy because I am close to the 2000 hits!!! That is incredible and so you know, if I reach those 2000 before next Wednesday, I will update sooner ;) Oh, and for next chapter I will be upgrading the rate to M, since it is about the honeymoon...
> 
> Anyway, hope you like this chapter xoxoxo
> 
> \-----------------------------------

Chapter 12

 

So her wedding day was finally here, scheduled precisely, to make sure her heat would begin once they were at the place they will spend their honeymoon. An autumn wedding just like the one of her parents. Her family favoured that season for their weddings. Autumn, the time when everything matures and is ready for harvesting. How fitting…

 

“Why are you so nervous? I thought you were sure about this.” asked Sherlock.

 

“I am, it´s just…all this pomp and circumstance, you know? I feel like they are all waiting for me to make a fool of myself, like tripping down the aisle or something.” replied Itzel

 

“Well, if you do trip down the aisle everybody will remember your wedding quite distinctly. Otherwise it will just become a blur with all the other weddings these people attend.”

 

“Yes, but I would rather become a blur than be remembered for that. Actually, I would be very happy if all these people just forgot about my wedding altogether. Why couldn´t we have a small ceremony, with just family?”

 

Sherlock just rolled his eyes, they both knew why she couldn´t have a simple wedding. Having Sherlock there was great, his bored attitude calmed her, really her bridesmaids were driving her crazy. She just couldn´t understand why they were so excited, she was the one getting married not them, and she hated that tradition dictated they had to be there while she dressed, they weren´t even helping her.

 

It was kind of sad, if she thought about it. You were supposed to choose your bridesmaids from among your friends, but she didn´t have close friends, except for Sherlock and he wasn´t eligible because he was already married; so her bridesmaids were a bunch of distant relatives she rarely saw. They were all teenage omegas that consider her some kind of old spinster who had been lucky enough to catch the interest of an alpha, and they just loved to point it out whenever they had the opportunity. Luckily after today she didn´t have to see them again, save for the occasional family reunions.

 

Itzel was almost ready, she was only missing the veil.

 

“Out, all of you. You are giving me a headache”, snapped Sherlock.

 

“Who are you to tell us what to do, besides it is our job as bridesmaids to stay with Itzel till his father comes for her.”, answered the bravest, if not the smartest, of the bridesmaids.

 

Sherlock just raised an eyebrow and began to walk around the silly bridesmaid, before saying, “Yes, I don´t have the authority to tell you what to do, but I have the ability of knowing what you have being doing and with who.”

 

“What do you mean?” stuttered the bridesmaid.

 

Sherlock smirked, “Nothing, it is just that I have noticed how much you enjoy the…flowers.”

 

The bridesmaid blushed and stammered, “You are as crazy as everybody says.”, and then adopting an affected pose he turned to the other bridesmaids and said, “Come on let’s wait in the sitting room. Itzel you better pray that your children don´t take after him in any way.”

 

When they were finally alone, Itzel hugged Sherlock and whispered, “I would love for my children to be like their Uncle Sherli.”

 

Sherlock didn´t have an answer to that. If he was honest with himself, he didn´t want his own children to be like him, he wanted them to be like John, they would be happier…And wasn´t that a strange thought.  Just a few moments ago he had been sure he never wanted to have children. But what that silly omega had said, had impacted him in unimaginable ways.

 

Feeling, the change in Sherlock, Itzel tried to distract him, so she asked, “What did you mean when you said she enjoyed the flowers?”

 

“He has been snogging the young beta that helps the florist.”

 

“Really? Unbelievable, he has been the worst of them, constantly remembering me how a decent omega is supposed to act. ”

 

Sherlock, waved his hand dismissingly, “I don´t know how you tolerated them in your house for a whole week”.

                                                      

“Well, they are family and my bridesmaids, it was expected for them to stay here”, shrugged Itzel.

 

“Always doing what is expected of you, right?”

 

“Well, not always, but we have to choose our battles.”

 

Sherlock just hummed and helped her put on her veil.

 

“You look beautiful.”

 

“Thank you”

 

At that moment, Mr. Cedeño knocked on Itzel´s door, “Are you ready Itzel?”

 

“Yes Father, come in.”

 

“Hello Sherlock, I am sorry for not greeting you when you arrived.”

 

“Don´t worry Mr. Cedeño I bet you were busy organizing the transport to the church.”

 

“Yes, it is incredible how complicated it can be to arrange for a couple of cars to drive us to our destination, it is not like we are going on safari or something.” joked Mr. Cedeño

 

Sherlock turned to Itzel and raised an eyebrow, saying, “Now I know where you get your non-existent sense of humour”, she just rolled her eyes at him.

 

“Sherlock, John is downstairs waiting for you, he asked me to tell you, you should be leaving now or you will be late.”

 

“Yes of course, see you later then. Goodbye”

 

“Bye.”, answered the Cedeños

 

As soon as they were alone, Mr. Cedeño turned to her daughter, and after hugging her, he said “Itzel, I know that more often than not, we don´t see eye to eye, but never forget that I love you and all I want is for you to be happy. Please know that this will always be your home, if you ever feel the need to return here, you will be welcomed, no questions asked.”

 

“I love you.”

 

“My little princess. I wish…”

 

“Yes, I wish she were here too.”

 

\------------------------

 

“Mr. Holmes?”

 

“Yes Anthea.”

 

“Everything is ready Sir. Your parents as well as your brother and Dr. Watson are here and Miss Cedeño has already left her house, so she will be arriving in twenty minutes. I have also confirmed the details of your trip, a car will be waiting to take you to the airport the moment you wish, and soon as you take off, I will personally call to inform the hotel´s staff of the approximate time for your arrival, so they make the proper arrangements. I have also double checked your schedule, it is free for the next two weeks, so unless there is a mayor crisis your presence won´t be needed.”

 

“Thank you Anthea. I will probably be unreachable for the first week, never the less, make sure everybody sends daily reports of their activities as per usual. By the second week I expect to be able to make and receive some calls, I will let you know when will be an appropriate time to schedule them.”

 

“Of course, Sir.”

 

And after nodding his head toward Anthea, Mycroft left his car and headed to the Church, to wait for his bride.

 

\----------------------

 

Their wedding was nothing exceptional, the traditional wedding with the traditional bows and the traditional peck on the lips when they were pronounced married, then the traditional photographs, and finally the traditional reception. Itzel wondered why everybody thought this was the social event of the year. It was so boring, she had not even been able to spend time with the persons she really wanted to be with.

 

After her first dance with Mycroft, as a married couple, she had to dance with every goddamn alpha present; it was nice dancing with her Father and with John, but that was that, dancing with Violet Holmes was an experience she wanted to delete from her mind. Then she and her bridesmaids had to visit each table to make sure the guests were enjoying their dinner. By the time they cut the cake, she was so tense that just looking at it made her nauseous. It was so unfair, the cake was the only thing in the menu she actually wanted to eat, she would have to ask a waiter to save a piece for her.

 

“Itzel dear, are you feeling alright?”

 

“Yes Mr. Holmes, don´t worry.”

 

“I thought I had asked you to call me Siger. Anyway, you look a little pale I think it is time for you and Mycroft to leave. Go change your dress, I will talk with him and with your Father.”

 

“Thank you, could you please tell Sherlock to come and help me.”

 

“Of course dear, go on.”

 

\----------------------

 

“Are you feeling well Sherlock?”

 

“Yes John.”

 

“Ok, tell me what is wrong. While I danced with Itzel she told me one of the bridesmaids said something rude about you.”

 

“People are always saying rude things about me.”

 

“Yes, that is true, but you usually aren´t affected by them.”

 

Sherlock just shrugged and kept dancing, but after a while he blurted out, “Do you want children John? With me?”

 

“What kind of question is that?”

 

“Well, you agreed I could take birth control, but we never talked about children, not really, and well it is in an alpha’s nature, the wish to procreate.”

 

“You are too young Sherlock, this conversation can wait a couple of years don´t you think? And before that big brain of yours starts making conclusions, you must know that if I ever feel the need to procreate, it would obviously be with you, nothing could make me happier than bringing to this world someone as wonderful as you. My silly omega. With whom else would I want to have children?”

 

“John… I love you John.”

 

“I love you too Sherlock. You know what, I will be taking you to more weddings, I like to hear you confessing your undying love for me on the dance floor.”

 

“I wouldn´t count on that John.”

 

“I know, and so **_you_** know, I don´t need you to say it, but it is nice when you do.”

 

“Excuse me boys…”

 

“Mummy, is there something you need?”

 

“Yes dear, it is time for Itzel and Mycroft to leave, she is changing her dress, please go and help her. John could you please ask Mr. Cedeño to wait for us at the entrance.” And without waiting for an answer Mr. Holmes left searching for Mycroft.

 

“Well love, we have received our orders, see you in a little while”, and with a mock salute John left.

 

\-------------------------

 

“May I come in?”

 

“Yes, please”

 

“Need help with that?” asked Sherlock noticing Itzel hadn´t been able to undo all the buttons of her dress.

 

“Yes please, I feel trapped. Why did I chose this stupid dress?”

 

“Because you liked it”

 

“Well I don´t like it anymore, I just want to take it off!!!”, cried Itzel.

 

“Ok, calm down…There, all the buttons are undone now.” Sherlock felt so out of place, what was he supposed to do with a hysterical Itzel?

 

“Thank you”, said Itzel and she retreated behind a screen to change her clothes.

 

Sherlock could hear her sobbing, so in an attempt to calm her down he said, “My brother will take care of you.”

 

“I know, but I am scared.” She did not have to say what she was scared of, Sherlock knew, yes maybe Itzel was older and had gone through many heats, but she had never been intimate with anyone.

 

“You liked it when he kissed you.”

 

“He hasn´t touched me since that day.”

 

“Well, you have been very busy and stressed, and I guess he didn´t want to overwhelm you. If you remember correctly, he even left the country a couple of months ago, when you went through your last heat. Besides, from what John witnessed yesterday at the engagement party, Mycroft is looking forward to…bonding with you.”

 

“Do you think he is really attracted to me, or it is just _hormones?_ ”

 

“How am I supposed to know that?”, blurted Sherlock, he really was trying to be understanding, but Itzel was being too illogical and sentimental, he was out of his element here, he needed John, but he just couldn´t leave Itzel alone, at least he thought he shouldn´t.

 

Itzel came from behind the screen and hugged Sherlock. “Lie to me, please.” she whispered.

 

“No, I will not, just remember that Mycroft chose you as his wife, he had a lot of options but he chose you.”

 

Strangely, that was enough for Itzel, at least for the time being. “Thank you Sherlock.”

 

“Oh, isn´t it wonderful how good the two of you get along?” said Mr. Holmes coming into the room “Are you ready dear?”

 

“I haven´t picked up my dress, it is behind the screen”

 

“Don´t worry about that, I will make sure to send it to the dry cleaners and have it packed to preserve it, and once it is ready I´ll make sure that Mycroft’s lovely assistant takes it to your home.”

 

“There is no need for that Siger, I will pick it up from the dry cleaners when we come back, there is no need to bother Anthea, I am sure she will be very busy as it is.”

 

“Nonsense, I am sure that girl will be delighted to do it. Go on, Mycroft is waiting for you in the garage, as you requested we haven´t told the guest you are leaving, so you can make a discrete exit.”

 

“Thank you, I appreciate that. We’ll, see you in a couple of weeks Sherlock; I will call you as soon as we come back.”

 

“No need for that”

 

“I know, but what kind of sister in law would I be if I don´t bug you?”

 

“Trying to be funny again? Really stop trying.”

 

“Ok, bye Sherlock, bye Siger”, and after hugging each one of them she went to the garage, where she found Mycroft, Violet and her Father.

 

“Ready to go”, she said, trying to smile

 

“I will miss you princess. I wish you all the happiness you deserve”, said Mr. Cedeño, kissing her on the forehead.

 

“Thank you dad.” she said surprising Mr. Cedeño, it had been years since the last time she had called him anything but Father.

 

“Goodbye Mrs. Holmes, thank you for your hospitality, it was really nice of you to let us have the engagement party and the reception here.”

 

“No thanks needed, it was only logical for the Holmes heir to get married here.” replied Violet Holmes as coldly as good manners allowed her.

 

“Of course”, was all Itzel said.

 

After that Mycroft helped Itzel to get into the car, and after saying a last goodbye to his Father and his _Father in law_ , he also got into the car and asked the chauffer to take them to the airport.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the wedding dress: http://www.rosaclara.es/rc/romero/


	14. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The honeymoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the 2000 hits came sooner than a I thought, so here it is second update of the day, hope you like it ;)
> 
> Thanks Krefftii for all your suggestions for this chapter.

Chapter 13

 

Her heat was beginning. She felt it the moment they got off the plane, but it felt different, every sensation was just…more. The ride to the hotel was torture, Mycroft´s smell was so enticing, it was disconcerting, and it made her angry. Why her nature made it so that having an alpha near made her heat feel different? It was her body, she should have better control over it. Why couldn´t she freely chose who she felt more attracted to and why? And it was all so illogical, because she had always thought Mycroft was attractive, but she couldn’t help but wonder if she would find him equally attractive if he were a beta. It was all so confusing, and the only clear thing was the need to be claimed. And that made her even angrier.

 

Mycroft could sense Itzel´s distress and for the first time in his life, he did not know what to do. All his instincts were screaming for him to take her and claim her, but he wasn´t sure if Itzel would welcome his advances. Yes, her heat had begun and she felt the need as well as him, but there was also anger and…rejection. The car ride was torture.

 

As soon as they arrived at the hotel, Itzel excused herself saying she wanted to take a bath, and locked herself in the bathroom.

 

Mycroft was going crazy, she had been in the bathroom for an hour, and each minute that went by, he could smell her heat progressing. Such an alluring smell…His omega, she was his to claim and she had no right to deny him. No!! He had to reign in his impulses, he couldn’t risk hurting her. Time to be as rational as he could, given the circumstances.

 

“Itzel, are you ok?” asked Mycroft knocking at the bathroom´s door. From the sounds in the bathroom, he could tell she was sitting in the tub, he just hoped she hadn´t let the water get too cold.

 

“Go away”, gasped Itzel; her breathing had become laboured.

 

“Let me help you”, and the moment those words left his mouth, Mycroft knew he had made a big mistake.

 

“Oh, yes the alpha wants to help the omega, just like the wolf wanted to help Little Red Riding hood”, snapped Itzel, God, what was wrong with her? Why was she acting like such a brat?

 

“Itzel, we must calm down. Please come out so we can talk about what is bothering you.”

 

“It is you, you are bothering me. This heat feels different and it is your fault. Go away.”

 

“I can´t go away my dear wife, you know that.”

 

“Oh yes, you have to _claim me_ ”, said Itzel sarcastically

 

“No, _we_ have to bond”, corrected Mycroft.

 

“Why would you want to bond with me, you don´t even like me.”

 

“Itzel, we have talked about this.”

 

“Yes, we talk, that is all we do. Talk, talk, talk, have you ever heard, _dear husband,_ that actions speak louder than words, or that words are blown away by the wind.”

 

That was it, Mycroft was at the end of his patience, he was only human after all, “And what did you expected me to do? To take you before we got married, to prove you I am attracted to you? I couldn´t do that Itzel and you know it, we would both have regretted it later. But I wanted to, how much I wanted to, do you have an idea of how enticing your smell is? I had to leave the country during your last heat because I wasn´t sure I could control myself.”

 

“You are lying. Sherlock says…”

 

“I DON´T CARE WHAT SHERLOCK SAYS, MY BROTHER HAS NO IDEA OF WHO I AM OR WHAT I WANT. For all his abilities, he has yet to discover how to read me. I want you, but I also respect you. So come out already, if you take longer I will open this door, you know I can”, growled Mycroft.

 

Of course, the Holmes and their habit of picking locks, she was so angry, she got out of the bathtub and didn´t bother drying herself, she just grabbed the first robe she could find.

 

She opened the door forcefully and pointing with one finger at Mycroft´s chest she said, “Who do you think you are? You can´t go around picking locks, intruding into people’s privacy. Really, didn´t your parents teach you better?”

 

Mycroft, didn´t really hear what Itzel was saying. When she came out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam surrounded her, making her smell even more strong and all he was able to process was that HIS omega was in front of him; with a myriad of water drops over her body, wearing nothing but a robe.

 

“MINE”, Mycroft growled and pulled Itzel into his arms, kissing her like there was no tomorrow; she tried to push him, she even bit his lips, but he didn´t let her go. He circled her waist with one arm tightly, while he hold her head with his other hand, not caring if he pulled her hair.

 

After a few moments, Itzel melted into the kiss, it felt so good, why had she been so reluctant? More importantly, why were they wearing so many clothes?

 

The second Mycroft noticed Itzel had stopped fighting he took off her robe and carried her to the bedroom, dropping her unceremoniously on the bed, in his haste to takes off his own clothes.

 

Everything had become of blur of want and need, the only thought running through her mind was her alpha, so beautiful and so strong. He was perfect for her, he had just proved it. He had been patient when he had had to be, but then, he had known instinctively when to push her limits. She needed him so much, she could feel her core getting wet to receive him.

 

This certainly hadn´t gone as he expected, he had hoped to ease Itzel into their bonding, but she had pushed him to his limit, now he couldn´t think of being tender, he just wanted to take her and claim her as fast as he could, show her who she belongs to, and wasn´t that a scary thought. He never thought he would be reduced to this. But his control was far gone, and he just didn´t care anymore, perhaps tomorrow when their hormones had settled a little, he would be horrified by his caveman instincts, but right now, he was going to mark her inside and out.

 

He climbed onto the bed and positioned himself over her; she opened her legs to fit him better. But even if she expected to be penetrated the second Mycroft was above her, he didn´t do it. Instead he grabbed her by the hair and turned her head in order to bite and lick her neck.

 

“Please my alpha, please”, begged Itzel.

 

“Not yet, my sweet omega. First I am going to explore your body, to show you just how much I am attracted to you.” And without saying anything more, Mycroft took is time kissing, licking and biting Itzel, he spent a long time playing with her breasts, he loved to see Itzel squirm when he bit or pinched her nipples; who would have thought she like it a little rough. Then, he kissed her belly, and he couldn´t help but wonder how she would look when she became heavy with his child. And wasn´t it surprising how much that idea turned him on, he couldn´t help but trail his nails along her abdomen, imagining the stretch marks she would get.

 

Itzel was once again surprised by the strong sensations her body could experience. She thought she knew how it felt, could she have been more wrong? Mycroft was driving her crazy, she just wanted to feel him inside of her already, but he was taking his time. After he touched her belly, she thought he was finally going to penetrate her, but he just skipped to her feet. She wanted to cry out in frustration, but she had no strength to do that, she could only moan and whisper a string of please and more.

 

Mycroft was enjoying this so much, he had complete control over his omega, it was maddening. He sucked her toes, loving the sinful noises she made, and he kept kissing his way up her legs; he especially took pleasure licking the inside of her knees, it was obvious she was sensitive there. As he approached her sex, he noticed how wet she was, the slick her body produced in order to receive his knot had dripped to her thighs, making a delicious mess on her.

 

“So you really want me don´t you my omega?”

 

“Yes please, please”, she answered, closing her eyes tightly.

 

“Look at me”, he ordered and when he had his eyes locked on her, he preceded to lick her thighs clean, although he didn´t accomplished much, since her body kept producing slick.

 

Mycroft couldn’t hold on anymore, but he wanted to taste her, really taste her, so he licked her clitoris while introducing his fingers into her core. Itzel wasn´t expecting that, and she came for the first time that night, arching her back till only her shoulders and feet were supporting her.

 

Seeing her lost in the throes of passion, Mycroft finally let go and penetrated her, she felt glorious, so slick and hot around him. He had never been with an omega before, he had fooled around with a couple of betas and even with some alphas, but never with an omega, he didn´t want the complications that brought, but now, with this omega, HIS OMEGA, he finally understood what all the fuss was about.

 

He started pumping into her relentlessly, he couldn´t have been gentle, even if he had wanted too. The urge of having her, marking her with his seed was overwhelming.

 

Itzel hadn´t come down from her first orgasm when she felt Mycroft thrust into her; the force of it pushing her up the bed and making her breath catch. The pleasure was indescribable, she idly wonder if it would always be like this, or if it were just a result of this being their first mating, but really that didn´t matter now.

 

Mycroft was nearing his orgasm, and by the way Itzel´s inner walls were moving around his cock. He knew she was also close, so he took her into his arms, arranging her in a way so that she was sitting on his lap, giving him easy access to her neck, which he started licking, searching with his tongue for the point where he had to mark her. That change in positions also allowed him to thrust into her from a new angle, making him go deeper into her heat, something they both savoured, it was an incredible feeling. When Mycroft finally felt the gland that produced the hormones that made her an omega, his movements became more forceful, and while thrusting into her one last time, he bit her hard, but almost with clinical precision, he was a Holmes after all.

 

The moment Mycroft pierced the gland inside Itzel, they both came, he enjoyed the taste of her blood in his mouth, something he didn´t expected, and she could feel how her body absorbed his saliva, changing her DNA to fit his, transforming her scent into a perfect mixture between hers and the one of her Alpha. Her conscious mind would have to process that change in the future, but right now, she felt content. The sadness and loneliness that had threaten to drawn her after her mother died had lessened in way, because now her Alpha had claimed her, he will protect her, and no matter what happened, she will never be alone again, she will always be connected to her Alpha.

 

Once the high of her orgasm had dissipated, she could feel Mycroft´s knot growing inside of her, it felt odd…not bad, but odd, it certainly was very different from the way the toys she had used felt.

 

She was still sitting over Mycroft´s lap, and all she wanted to do was wrap herself around her alpha and sleep. She had already placed her head on Mycroft´s shoulder, with her nose buried on his neck, when he placed one hand on her face and made her look at him.

 

“Are you feeling well”, he asked her

 

“Tired”

 

“Please just hold on a little more, let me settle into a more comfortable position”

 

“Ok”, she mumbled

 

He got of the bed, carrying her with her legs around his waist and he placed the pillows as best as he could, he pulled the blankets down and he finally climbed into the bed as carefully as he could in order to not hurt Itzel.  Considering they were still joined because of his knot. Once he was comfortably propped on the pillows, he pulled the blankets over them, Itzel fell asleep almost instantly, draped over her Alpha.

 

\------------------------------------

 

Mycroft had meant to stay awake and wait for his knot to deflate in order to take a bath, clean Itzel and then lie more comfortably on the bed, but he had obviously fallen asleep without noticing. Waking up smelly and sticky was certainly something he didn´t enjoy, although it was nice having Itzel curled up against him, with her head over his chest.

 

He tried to get up without disturbing her, but it was impossible considering his position, so he ended up waking her up.

 

“Go back to sleep, I am just going to take a bath”

 

“I feel gross, I want to take a bath too.” said Itzel sleepily, burying her head under the pillows.

 

“Then come on my dear wife, a bath and then a little to eat and maybe more sleep, before your heat reaches a peak again.”

 

“Ok”

 

\------------------------

 

The first week of their honeymoon was a repeat of those first hours, sex followed by rest and food and then more sex. Mycroft had chosen a hotel specialised in omega/alpha parings, so each suit was an independent cottage with a bedroom, a bathroom, an office, a living room and a kitchen, stocked with enough provisions for the newlyweds. During that first week they had to change the linens by themselves, an alpha wouldn´t take well a stranger coming into _his territory,_ while his omega was in heat. As for food, they basically lived on fruit, yogurt and some canned soup.

 

By the time the second week of their honeymoon rolled over, Itzel’s heat had ended, and they spent most of their time walking around the resort, swimming, talking and being intimate. Itzel couldn’t call it making love, since she knew there was no _sentiment_ behind their joining; but she couldn´t bring herself of thinking of it as _having sex_ , either, because it felt like more than that. Maybe it was because of the bond, she really wasn´t sure, she just knew that their physical contacts were lost in between classifications, and she wasn´t ready to analyse them.

 

Since the cottage only had one bedroom, they shared a bed for the time being, but Itzel knew once they returned home each one of them will be sleeping in their own bed. That saddened her a little, she really liked sleeping with Mycroft, falling asleep besides him soothed her and helped her sleep as well, as she did before her mother died and she even had grown accustomed to wake up alone in bed. After her heat ended, he would wake up before dawn and head to the office to work.

 

She heard him making and receiving different calls, and it was also obvious he worked on his computer. She never tried to listen into his conversations, nor did she enter the office. It went without saying his work was a totally different world where Itzel had no place.

 

So as soon as she woke up, she would follow her morning routine and then she would prepare breakfast, she could have called room service, but cooking helped her pass the time. Usually, once she had set up the table, Mycroft had finished with work and he would spend the rest of the day with her.

 

“Everything is packed, I´ve double checked all the drawers and the closets. Tomorrow we just have to place our pyjamas and toiletries in the travel bag”

 

“Thank you my dear. What would you liked to do tonight?”

 

“Just stay here, I am kind of tired.”

 

“As you wish”

 

“Mycroft?”

 

“Yes my dear?”

 

“I wanted to apologize for the way I behaved our first day here. It was childish of me.”

 

“Do not worry yourself, I understand, it couldn´t have been easy for you. And I must assume responsibility for the part I played in the way things developed.”

 

“What do you mean? You were great, really patient and, well, for what I remember, it was…you know, and then the times we were intimate outside my heat those were also…”, said Itzel blushing like crazy.

 

“I am glad to know you have enjoyed being intimate with me, I can tell you it is mutual. And that is precisely the point I am trying to make, you were very clear in your expectations about our sex life, and I was remise in achieving the level of closeness necessary for you to feel comfortable during our mating.”

 

“Well yes, but you told me I should ask of you what I needed, and I didn´t do it. I was so busy with all the wedding madness that I just kept thinking we would have time for that later.”

 

“Don´t be so harsh on yourself, my dear wife, I knew how you felt, but I kept telling myself that further _familiarity_ between us wasn´t necessary. The truth is I was afraid I wouldn´t be able to hold back if we tried anything beyond that first kiss. I am not proud of saying it, but your distress was evident and my instincts were running wild.”

 

“So we were a pair of fools.”

 

“Yes, I think so.”

 

“Well, at least we had fun making amends”, laughed Itzel

 

Mycroft just raised an eyebrow at her.


	15. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Married life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! Well here is this week's update; it is my longest chapter so far, I really don´t know how that happened, the original chapter was written and my lovely beta Krefftii had already gone through it, and I just kept thinking of more and more things to add...So yeah, this chapter has a lots of parts that haven´t been betaed, so any and every mistakes are my own. Sorry!!! And remember English isn´t my native language.
> 
> One of the reason I added things to this chapter instead of dividing it, is because in my original plan Greg meets Mycroft in Chapter 15 and I really didn´t want to postpone that, after all I placed Mystrade as one of the tags lol. I swear it will happen, I tried to change the tags so the Mycroft Holmes/original female character appeared first, but I couldn´t, so please forgive me if this story isn´t exactly as the tags suggest :S
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy this ;)
> 
> \--------------------------

Chapter 14

 

As promised, as soon as the plane landed, she called Sherlock to tell him they were back. It didn´t surprise her when he answered his phone by saying “You could have texted”. She just loved her brother in law!!

 

Once Itzel had settled into her new home and was getting used to her new routine, they made the necessary announcements and sent the appropriate cards to the right persons, in order to inform them of Itzel´s new address as Mycroft´s wife.  Really it was a silly tradition, wasn´t it obvious she was going to move in with her husband? Sometimes she just didn´t understand all these social conventions.

 

They soon settled into an easy routine, Mycroft would always have breakfast with her, and then he would go to work, leaving Itzel to her own devices. The first days she didn´t go out, trying to get used to her new home, and once she stopped feeling like an intruder in Mycroft´s house, she started exploring the area; she located a park nearby, as well as some shops and cafes, and by the end of the month she even had a favourite place to go drink coffee.

 

She visited Sherlock a couple of times and surprisingly she even invited her mother in law for tea. It was a really nice visit, it was obvious Siger felt lonely, so she made sure to call or go out with him at least once a week. She also made time to call or visit her Father as often as possible.

 

During the evenings more often than not, she would dine alone since Mycroft stayed till late in the office, but he always made sure to call her during the day, and the times she was still awake when he got home, they would talk about the things they had done. Sometimes they were intimate, but it was always in Itzel´s bed and after she fell asleep, Mycroft would then leave to his bedroom.

 

Anthea, Mycroft´s PA became something like a friend and an ally. They both knew what it was like to deal closely with Mycroft Holmes, and they had agreed on looking after the alpha since he didn´t do it himself. Really, he wouldn´t eat or rest, if they weren´t there to remind him that yes, he needed to. Anthea and Itzel first came in contact when Mycroft was running late for one of their dates and he decided to send Anthea to pick her up. That first car ride was interesting, Mycroft’s omega fiancé sitting beside Mycroft´s very attractive beta PA. The tension was palpable, but Anthea, being who she was, took things into her hands and simply stated, “Mr. Holmes is not my type.” Itzel just laughed; trust Mycroft Holmes to have a PA like that.

 

It was the beginning of December when she received a call from John inviting them over for dinner. Itzel joked a little with John asking him if she should bring body bags or if he had them already; but surprisingly when the two couples finally met for dinner, they had a great time, For once the brothers seemed to be getting along, thanks to the presence of their respective spouses who acted as mediators.

 

Itzel couldn´t help but envy how happy Sherlock and John were. They had been brave enough to break with social conventions and live their lives as they wanted. Of course, it wasn´t as difficult for them, after all, Sherlock, despite being a Holmes, wasn´t the heir, so rules were more flexible for him, add to that how impossible he could be…She was sure his parents reached a point in which they just wanted to marry him off, no matter with who. He was so lucky, finding someone who not only accepted him, but also loved him…

 

Mycroft, watched as Itzel looked wistfully at Sherlock and John, so it really didn´t surprise him when she excused herself and went out to the small balcony of Sherlock and John´s flat.

 

“Are you feeling indisposed?”, asked Mycroft while handing her a glass of wine.

 

“I´ll be ok in a minute.”, answered Itzel quietly.

 

“I am sorry”, said Mycroft standing behind her.

 

“What for?”

 

“I can´t be like Dr. Watson.”

 

“I never expected you to be.”

 

“But you wish our relationship were more like theirs.”

 

Itzel closed her eyes briefly and sighed before replying “We promised not to lie to each other; that is the foundation of our marriage. The truth is I wish _I_ were different, maybe as brave as Sherlock or as hopeful as John…but I´m not. Like you, I grew up being lectured about what was expected of me and at some point I just gave up, accepted that eventually a husband would be chosen for me and I would have to settle down.”

 

“So you chose duty over love…”

 

“Yes Mr. Holmes, just like you…Cheers for that…”, said Itzel raising her glass.

 

They were silent for a few moments, each one lost in thought, until Itzel broke the silence, “Of course, I didn´t go down quietly, did I? I really enjoyed all my small victories as well as the gossip I provoked when going against some of my family’s wishes.”

 

“Your mother was a great inspiration for you.”

 

“Yes…although sometimes I wonder if my life would have been less complicated if she hadn´t been so… _liberal and independent_ …at least right now I wouldn´t be feeling like I failed her.”

 

“Well, you did not settle for a traditional arranged marriage, you didn´t just accepted my proposal, you negotiated with me, in order to get out of our union what you wanted.”

 

Itzel huffed, they both knew there hadn´t been a _negotiation_ , not really, but there was no point in mentioning that.

 

“For a while, Mum and I thought I would be able to forgo the whole arranged marriage and instead marry because I had fallen in love like any normal person, but when I turned 16 and it became obvious that my uncle, the head of my family, was sterile, I knew it was impossible. My family needs an heir, and I´m to provide it, it is my responsibility…and I just don´t know how to get rid of that idea, it is too ingrained in me, no matter what Mum tried to teach me. My _responsibility_ is what made me accept your proposal, and not just your promise of letting me have my own life. I could have done it without you, you know? I could just have said no to my family. They would have disowned me, but father had already fulfilled the legal formalities, so I could have kept studying and then gotten a job, and it is not like I was dispossessed, my mother left me an apartment and money in her will…”.

 

“I didn´t know that…”

 

“Do not look so surprised, yes you have a _minor position in government_ that gives you access to information, but my father has been longer in this game and even if he is no one in the big scheme of things, he has collected a few favours here and there. He knew that if Grandfather discovered about my inheritance, he would press him till I gave everything up, so he made a few calls and ensured that Mum´s will and my financial records of the last two years got lost somewhere in a forgotten government office. I am sure he didn´t mean to hide this from you deliberately. It is just that everybody in my family was so thrilled when I accepted your proposal…I guess he thought that informing you of my possessions would just complicate everything. Father knew that the inheritance was my ticket out. When he realized I wasn´t going to use it, he must have concluded that the best would be to keep quiet. And even if by law he and I were supposed to inform you of my assets, there is a loophole, which allowed me to wait until the end of the year to tell you, when you will have to verify and approve my financial records.”

 

“I must confess I knew you would accept my proposal, but I wasn´t sure about your motives, yes your father was pressuring you, but you could have persuaded him of waiting for a couple of years. As Sherlock would like to say, _there is always something._ ”

 

“Oh, don´t beat yourself for that, I have been trained to lie and pretend since I turned 3 years old, like every single upper-class omega. There is more to us than what alphas notice.”

 

“Yes, Sherlock and you have shown me that, even the few interactions I had with my mother before our wedding pointed to the fact that we tend to underestimate omegas. I won´t make that mistake again…We are quite a pair, aren´t we?”

 

“ _Yeah_ …Oh don´t give me that look, I don´t like to talk all posh all the time. Anyway, why do you let me babble?”

 

“I have noticed that talking helps you deal with your emotions.”

 

“And what helps you deal with your emotions Mr. Holmes?”

 

“Oh, haven´t you heard my dear wife, I do not have emotions.”

 

Itzel smiles and leans her back on Mycroft´s chest.

 

“Yes you do, I wouldn´t have married you otherwise.”

 

“Please my darling, promise me you will not tell that to anyone, it would ruin my reputation.” answered Mycroft circling Itzel´s waist with one of his arms, bringing them closer.

 

“Ok, I promise...May I ask something of you?”

 

“Of course my darling.”

 

“Share a room, a bed, with me? I find your presence, your smell reassuring.”

 

“Itzel…I…”

 

“Oh, come on Mycroft I´m not asking you to fall in love with me, I just need…companionship. I´m tired of feeling alone, aren’t you? And since we are already married will it be that terrible to become friends…lovers…I am not even asking for exclusivity. You promised that as my husband you would make sure to give me everything I needed to feel content.”

 

“If you were someone else, I would probably say no. But in these months we have been together, I have realized you do not only know but really accept the nature of our marriage.”

 

“Of course, I may not always behave as I am supposed to, but I have been properly _brainwashed_ , I mean, I have been properly _educated_.”, said Itzel jokingly. “I know our relationship is not based on love, but that doesn´t mean we have to hate each other and be miserable together, we can become friends with benefits…I know you find me attractive Mister Holmes…”.

 

“Very much so Misses Holmes.”, said Mycroft liking her neck

 

“Ok, cease and desist.”, shouted Sherlock, who had come looking for them

 

“Sherlock you will trip!!!”, warned Mycroft when he noticed Sherlock had his eyes closed.

 

“What, I don´t want to taint my eyes seeing the two of you canoodling. Fantastic, saying that just made me conjure images of the two of you… _together_. Oh if there is a God, make it stop!!! My brain can’t take it!!!!!!!!!!! Tell me once again why are you here?”

 

“You invited us to dinner, you ass.”

 

“Oh it is a wonderful vocabulary the one you have Mrs. Holmes, and no I did not invite you, John did.”

 

“So you wish us to leave?”, asked Itzel, not taking offense at Sherlock´s attitude, she knew how uncomfortable certain things made him and she was sure that the idea that his brother was a sexual being didn´t sit well with him.

 

“No, but since you are here, it is your duty to entertain me, and not each other, and I had to say that, didn´t I. Oh for…will these images ever stop!!!”

 

“It is your brain brother dear, we certainly have no control or influence over the images it conjures.”

 

“Yes you do, I am sure it is your pheromones. My brain wouldn´t conjure images of the two of you on its own volition unless it wanted to self-destruct”

 

“Oh come on you drama queen, let's entertain your brain with board games before it self-destructs, I guess poor John won´t invite us to dinner again if we leave grey matter splattered on the walls.”, said Itzel grabbing Sherlock´s hand and dragging him to the sitting room.

 

After a couple of hours playing board games, Itzel and Mycroft returned home.

 

Itzel was nervous, she wasn´t sure if Mycroft would actually agree to share a room with her, she hoped he did…

 

Mycroft, for once, decided to follow his instincts, after all, Itzel was his omega, sharing a room with her wouldn´t complicate their arrangement, would it?

 

When they arrived home, Mycroft took Itzel´s hand and lead her to his room.

 

\------------------------------

 

And so, their life as a married couple really began. It wasn´t the perfect love-based relationship which romantic novels and movies exulted, but neither was it the horrible arranged marriage those same novels and movies liked to portray. Even if some people could argue they were just two strangers sharing a bed, there was respect and companionship. Besides, they were getting to know each other little by little, yes, they did not spend a lot of time together, but that did not make them different to other couples. If people stopped for a second and analysed their own lives, they would realize that the time they spend with their partners isn´t that significant, due to work and kids, if they had them, and well because of life in general. The average time other couples spend together wouldn´t differ from the time Mycroft and Itzel shared.

 

For the first time in very long, Mycroft was, if not happy, content. He had always believed that solitude was the best thing for him; he found it taxing to tolerate people in general. Everybody was predictable and everybody wanted something for him, which was bothersome. But Anthea, John, and then Itzel made him rethink his views, perhaps his opinions about humanity had been wrong, he had made generalizations based on his experience with the people he had had contact with before, but those two opened his eyes to the fact that not everybody is a lazy, boring, simpleton. No, there were persons out there trying to make the most of their life, trying to help others. Yes maybe they were not remarkable or extraordinary, they did not have the Holmes intelligence, but they had other qualities, for example, Anthea was efficient, discrete, and loyal to the fault; John was brave, strong, compassionate and patient; Itzel…she was…she was his omega.

 

For years Mycroft had been sure that the extent of his _feelings_ was the affection he felt for his brother, which was born not only from the fact they were kin; but because he and Sherlock were the same, too intelligent, too different, something that placed them apart from the rest of humanity, leaving them as the odd men out. Looking from afar all these beings who did not understand them. But then came Itzel, with her easy smile, and that naivety that made her focus on the good attributes of every person she met. She was honest and kind, so much so that it could get to be annoying…An average girl, no a woman, who did not understand Mycroft, but accepted him as he was and did not ask him things she knew he couldn´t give. And by not asking, she had achieved to make Mycroft care about her.

 

Because of all the lies that surrounded Mycroft´s life, he hated to lie to himself, so he wouldn´t deny it, he cared for Itzel beyond what his nature dictated. It was not only the possessiveness and protectiveness any alpha felt towards their omega; it was not only the need to know she was safe and well cared for, no, he wanted her to be emotionally balanced. Not because it would bring a benefit to himself or because she had earned it in some way; no there was just something inside that make him want to do everything in his power to make her _happy_. So yes, he cared for her, no he did not love her, he knew he was incapable of such a feeling, and somehow he did not regret that fact, love complicated things, it made people develop unrealistic expectations or make stupid sacrifices, what they had was perfect, it just was.

 

They had been married for over five months now and they had settled in a convenient routine, of course soon they would have to make some adjustments to it, for when Itzel returned to University. Having breakfast together would prove impossible on the days she had to be early for classes. He will talk to Anthea and make sure to make it home early on those days. That actually was a good thing, he would be able to take her out to some nice restaurants and show her off a little, yes he was above demonstrations of alpha bravado, but it couldn´t hurt to show everybody he was bonded to an attractive omega who happened to think he was attractive too. Mycroft wasn´t vain and he had a very objective idea of his appearance, but for some persons with whom he had to deal, things like that were important, humans could be so shallow...

 

But that was not all there was to it; spending time during the evenings with his wife opened up different options for them, he would be able to take her to the theatre, to concerts, to the ballet, and maybe they could even go dancing. He may have never been so vocal about dancing as Sherlock, but he, just like his brother, really enjoyed the activity. It was freeing in a sense, he concentrated on the music, on the physical part of it, and his mind could drift for a while. Before, as an alpha, he had never had a valid excuse to indulge, but thanks to Itzel he now had.

 

Having Itzel in his life had given him the opportunity to enjoy many things he had never wanted or needed, but that had enriched his cold life in unimaginable ways… _Sentiment_ , how inconvenient, well there was nothing to do now, he was not willing to give her up, he just had to make sure to be discrete about that, it would not do if other persons realized he cared for Itzel, as things were, she was already a pressure point of his; there had been some persons who thought that they could use Itzel to convince him to do what they wanted.

 

But it was more than that, he would never forgive himself if he placed her at a greater risk than she already was, she did not only marry into one of the United Kingdom’s most influential families, she was also an heiress in her own right, making her a target for those who seek an easy way to make money.

 

Besides, despite the fact that few people knew the real extent of his influence and power, and even fewer knew how all that would increase when he took over his Father´s position; those few were to be trusted just to a certain extent, after all, if it suited their interests they could very well betray him for money or for their ideals. Now, because they believed Mycroft had no real interest on Itzel, they overlooked her as a way to get to him. And there was also the fact that he could not dismiss the threat that some of the persons he dealt with directly posed, yes they may not really know who he was but believing they will never find out was just wishful thinking.

 

No, he would not be so arrogant as to believe no one could trace him, after all, they were people driven by greed or fanatical ideals, which meant that even if they did not have the brains, they had the drive, and weren´t wounded animals the most dangerous? Yes, he would do everything in his power to protect his Family, which now included not only Sherlock, but also Itzel, and even John since he knew how much his brother would suffer if something happened to the good doctor. And wasn´t that far from ideal? Three distractions…It was a good thing he had enough resources to see them protected, and if he focused more on Itzel than on the other two, well it was to be expected right? It wasn´t as if she were more special for him, it was just that he despised it when someone tried to flirt with His Omega, the nerve of some persons, really no sense of decorum.

 

\-------------------

 

“Hi, how was your day?”, asked Iztel from the bed.

 

“It was a normal day”, answered Mycroft while he put away his suit and began his night routine in order to go to bed.

 

“Good”, whispered Itzel, looking dejected.

 

Once he got out from the bathroom Mycroft climbed into bed with a book, and Itzel turned to him, using his legs as a pillow, hoping Mycroft would play with her hair, she loved the way her whole body tingled when he did that.

 

Mycroft, sensed something was off with Itzel, but he knew she would not talk till she was ready, so he read his book while petting her hair.

 

Finally, Itzel whispered “I really like being married to you.”

 

“And I like being married to you.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“We promised never to lie to each other.”

 

“Sorry, I did not mean it like I doubted you, it is just that…well sometimes I feel so _inadequate_ , you are so intelligent and you have this important job and I am just me, you know? A simple girl, a stay home bonded omega.”

 

So that was it, Mycroft knew the day will come when Itzel would get bored of doing nothing, but the time for her to go back to Uni, hadn´t come yet. Their bond was still new, he couldn´t risk something or someone altering it. Anyway, right now he had to soothe his omega´s insecurities. “You certainly are not a _simple girl_. You are so much more, you are caring and you try to help everyone around you…Anthea said you have plans for after you finish Uni. Why haven´t you mentioned anything about that to me?”

 

“I wanted to develop the idea a little better before presenting it you, after all I will need your help to make it happen, besides it will still be a couple of years before I get my Masters.”

 

“Yes, but we can start setting things up. So tell me what is exactly you want to do?”

 

“Well, I have had the opportunity to befriend omegas from different backgrounds, and I have noticed that everywhere there are still a lot of prejudices against us, even at school. There are teachers who think that it is a waste of time and resources to educate an omega since he or she would end up married and popping out children like there is no tomorrow. Some teachers don´t put too much effort on explaining things to omegas and they overlook any learning problem they could be facing, thinking that if they aren´t progressing as the rest of their peers it is just because of their _nature_. So I want to establish a centre where omegas who are having troubles at school could be tested in order to find out what is wrong. It could be something as simple as them needing glasses or maybe something a little bit more complicated like suffering from dyslexia. The important thing is helping them reach their potential, and not just assume that if they aren´t doing well at school it is because of their _nature…_ Really, like if it hadn´t been proved that omegas have an average IQ higher than Betas. I have been doing a little bit of research to find out the kind of permits I would need in order to open a centre like that; I have made a few calculations in order to have an idea of the budget needed and I have a general plan on what kind of specialists should be included in the staff. And all that has made me realise I do not want to manage the centre, I am not good at the administrative part of things, what I really want to do is focus on helping young omegas around 3 to 10 years old. So if you could advise me on someone who could help me make this idea come true I will really appreciate it…”.

 

“I think it is a great idea and I will be honoured to help you make it come true. I will make a few calls and once I find the right person, we will set up a meeting, what do you think?”

 

“Thank you, that will be great.”

 

“It is late my dear wife, lets rest.”

 

“I am not sleepy anymore. Kiss me?”

 

“With pleasure…”, said Mycroft while pulling Itzel towards him, making her sit over his lap and kissing her till she was breathless

 

“Not fair…” mumbled Itzel while Mycroft left her lips in order to nip at her neck.

 

“What is not fair my dear wife?” whispered Mycroft against her bond mark

 

“The way you turn me into a quivering mess with just a few kisses…”

 

“You were the one who asked me to kiss you…” answered Mycroft with a mischievous smirk.

 

“I know…Please don´t stop…”groaned Itzel rubbing her ass against Mycroft arousal.

 

“My naughty omega…You know you are not in control here, right?” asked Mycroft while he fisted her hair with both hands and lightly pulled it.

 

God, how much she enjoyed it when Mycroft got a little bit rough and domineering…who would have thought she had that submissive streak in her…

 

“I made you a question,” growled Mycroft against her ear, pulling her hair a little bit more and spanking her right buttock.

 

“Ah…I know I am not in control, you are in control my alpha…Please…”

 

“Please what my little omega?”

 

“Please take me…fuck me…”

 

“Such a beautiful mouth saying such filthy words…As I said, you are a naughty omega, and naughty omegas get punished…”

 

Itzel whimpered and opened her eyes as big as saucers, while her breathing got quicker…

 

Oh Mycroft was savouring this, he had noticed the way Itzel responded whenever he was rough, and he had wanted to explore a little bit, but he was not sure how she will react when faced with something more…but the way she had answered, saying he was in control and the way her eyes had filled with desire and wonder when he had mentioned punishment…Yes, his omega was so much more than a _simple girl…_ and he spend the whole night showing her exactly that.

 

\-----------

 

“Good morning.”

 

“Good morning”

 

“Everything all right?” asked Mycroft while he prepared himself a tea.

 

“Everything is so much more than all right…” answered Itzel dreamily before she could stop herself, and at that they just burst out laughing.

 

Once their laughter subside, Mycroft sat beside Itzel and started eating breakfast holding her hand. “We have to talk about last night, I do not want to force you to do things you really do not want to do.”

 

“I know…tonight? I want to _research_ certain things. But just so you know, I enjoyed very much everything…your attitude….as well as…everything else” said Itzel clearing her throat, and turning as red as a tomato. She couldn´t bring herself to say out loud how much it had turned her on the way Mycroft had ordered her around, and then when he had spanked her…which really she didn´t think she had to mention, considering Mycroft obviously noticed that…Their sheets were ruined…

 

“Stop looking at me like that dear wife, or I won´t be leaving the house today.”

 

“I am not the one in control here my alpha”, smirked Itzel

 

“Behave”, answered Mycroft raising an eyebrow and trying to look stern, but it was obvious to Itzel he was trying to suppress a smile, so she simply kept eating her breakfast.

 

 


	16. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mycroft and Greg meet...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the heavy angsty part of this story begins now, hope you enjoy it, things are not that angsty yet, but sitll I wanted to point out that human beings are complicated, and they sometimes end up doing things they swore they would not do, because they feel lonely or because they are in love. Is it healty, no it is not, but it happens.
> 
> And as always, thank you to my beta Krefftii, you are awesome!!! And a great friend!!!
> 
> But so you know, once again, I added things two this chapter after it was edited, so any and every mistakes are mine, if there are terrible ones, please let me know to fix them.
> 
> Hope you enjoy, and hope you comment, just to know what you think, even if you do not like it ;)

Chapter 15

 

That night, when Mycroft arrived home, Itzel had read everything she could find on BDSM, and she knew what she wanted; she could not live in a 24/7 type of relationship, but in the bedroom she would certainly love to be a submissive and she was willing to try out different things. She just draw her limits with needles, incapacitating pain and body fluids, well except semen and blood…Mycroft and her talked and agreed on the kind of games and toys they would like to include in their relationship, which could be termed as vanilla by many, but it worked for them.

 

In the bedroom, Mycroft liked to be in control of his omega and he enjoyed causing her a little bit of pain while giving her pleasure, but nothing too extreme, his instincts flared at the mare idea of causing her real damage. In their everyday life, well, as the alpha he had enough control over her, he did not feel the need to reinforce it in any way. Although he would not lie, he really enjoyed it when after a particular hard day at work, his omega, sensing what he needed, of her own volition would kneel by his feet reading a book, while he relaxed on his favourite coach at the library drinking a scotch.

 

He was sure Iztel did not realize how much submissive traits she had, no wonder she had so much issues with her mother. Yes, Itzel was raised to be strong and independent, but it was in her nature to be submissive and no, he did not mean she was submissive because she was an omega. No, it was something deeper, when he thought of her _nature_ , he meant her personality, her virtues, her defects, her temper, her beliefs, all those traits that made Itzel the human being she was. He will make sure to help her embrace her nature, so she could reach that balance she craved, he wanted to show her that asking for help or wanting to be taken care of in certain aspects of her life, did not mean she was insecure or lacked self-esteem.

 

\-------------------------

 

Itzel was surprised by the turns her relationship with Mycroft kept taking. Being married to the Iceman, as she had heard some bodyguards calling him, was not what she had expected. There was so much more to Mycroft, even Sherlock who had a better understanding of his brother was not able to see everything there was to him.

 

Mycroft was an alpha, through and through, but that was not all he was. He was extremely intelligent, and his ability to focus on things was impressive.

 

He did not get tired of saying he did not have feelings, but he obviously had them. She could tell by the way he was with Sherlock, and even by the way he treated everyone under his employment. He was a strict boss, but he was respectful and fair, and he always made sure to price people for a job well done. Whether it was Cook trying successfully a new recipe; the gardener maintaining the roses at their best even if the climate had been dreadful or Anthea avoiding a crisis in a small country; yes she shouldn´t know that, but really, she wasn´t deaf nor stupid…

 

And, well, she also knew he had feelings because of the way he was with her.

He was an excellent husband, he did all this little things to make sure she was happy, from letting her sleep on the right side of the bed, even if that was the side he preferred, to ordering Cook to add to the week´s shopping list all the foods she liked.

 

Then there was the way he would take her…he was an excellent lover, but it was more than that…She couldn´t explain it, she just felt close to him whenever they were intimate, it was like he dropped all his barriers and let her see his heart. The heart he claimed he didn´t have…

 

And then there was his possessive side. Mycroft was a perfect gentleman, who knew how to behave in different scenarios, always exhibiting unquestionable good manners, but whenever someone tried to get too close and personal with her, he would snap. Well as much as a Holmes could snap; a light blush would colour his cheeks, the vein on his temple would beat a little faster and he would use any excuse to drag her away from the other person; she liked to think that if she noticed those things was because she really knew him.

 

At first, she thought she was imagining things; she was sure that as long as she behaved as the proper omega wife, Mycroft could care less who she talked to or dance with at the different social gatherings they attended, since he knew she would stop any and every unwanted advances. But after a party with Mycroft´s co-workers, Anthea had confided in her that he had transferred all the young interns who had as much as looked at her with the slightest of interest. Confirming to her that yes, Mycroft was being a typical possessive alpha, and making her wonder why that made her giddy, really what kind of person was she? Why knowing he got jealous because of her, made her feel special?

 

It was all so confusing. She tried, she really did, but it was hard not hoping for something more…And so, without meaning to, Mycroft had earned her affection, she wasn´t ready to find out the depth of those feelings, and she sure as hell did not want to think too much about that. Things were becoming too difficult as they were…She just hopped things would stay the same, it was enough for her so far, knowing she was married to a man who cared for her and for whom she cared. So really no one could blame her for thinking her marriage was a little bit like the one of her parents; her alpha, unlike other upper class alphas, would never seek out a lover…

 

\----------------------------

 

“Hi John”, greeted Itzel stepping into John´s office.

 

“Hello Itzel, to what do I owe the pleasure. Please tell me Sherlock didn´t get himself in some kind of trouble.”, answered John while getting up to give her a hug.

 

“Nothing to worry about, well as far as I know, guess he is with that doctor at the morgue.”

 

“Who Molly?”

 

“She is Ok I guess.”, huffed Itzel

 

“You do not like Molly.”, stated John surprised, since Itzel rarely talked about other personas with so much contempt.

 

“She has stolen Sherlock from me!!! Lately he is always busy with her…”, pouted Itzel.

 

“You are jealous!”, laughed John and after receiving a glare from Itzel, he just hold both hands up in a placating manner and just said: “Don´t be, I am sure in his heart you are still Sherlock´s BFF, as you young people say, but right now Molly has something that no else can give Sherlock, not even me.”

 

“And what is that?”

 

“Access to dead bodies on which he can experiment.”

 

“Yes you are right, anyway, I didn´t come here to talk about my immature attitudes. I came to invite you to a small reunion at our house on Sunday to celebrate my return to Uni.”

 

“Great, what time do you want us to arrive?”

 

“Around one, it is kind of a late brunch. But well, there is a reason why I came to invite you in person.”

 

“And what is that reason.”

 

“Siger will be there. Violet has been on a business trip for a few months now and Siger is kind of depressed, you know alone at the Holmes State, so I thought it would be nice for him to spend some time with us, we are his family after all.”

 

“You pity Siger Holmes!!! I can´t believe it. You are always saying how a mother should take care of her or his own children and not leave them with nannies.”

 

“Yes I know, but…since I married Mycroft I have spent some time with Siger. He was so young when he had Mycroft, really Siger was a baby having a baby, and then a little bit after that Mr. Holmes senior died and their lives changed so much…Violet was at work all the time and there were all these social thingies Siger was expected to attend…I know he was a cold, distant mother, but he just didn´t know better…And when he tried to reach out for his sons, well, too many things had happened for them to accept Siger. I feel terrible now for judging all those omegas…Please, John, you have to help me, I swear there is more to Siger than you think.”

 

“Do you forget I spent a lot of time with him while organizing my wedding? Sorry, I don´t see him as someone I want in Sherlock´s life.”

 

“Please John, Siger was just acting as was expected of him, besides you are an alpha, he wouldn´t open up to you. Anyway, I think that many of the things he did do were to try and convince you to keep Sherlock away from the influence of the Holmes Family. Don´t you see? By emphasising how _unconventional_ Sherlock is, and the fact that you lack _pedigree_ , he turned you into the black sheep of the family, so Sherlock isn´t disowned, but at the same time, no one expects your marriage to be a traditional one. Now you are safe, nobody is pressuring you to conform, it is the time we help Siger build some bridges with his sons.”

 

“You were not there, you don´t know how horrible it was, how humiliating for Sherlock and Siger just stood there and allowed it.”

 

“Really, what do you think he could have done? Violet was set on marrying Sherlock.”

 

“So we help Siger get close to his sons, then what, we have them _building bridges_ with Violet too, so we can play at the happy family?”

 

“No…In his prim and proper way, Siger asked me for help, I just can´t ignore him. As for Violet, if she wants to fix things with her sons, she is on her own. I´ve got my own problems with her.”

 

“So you know?”

 

“That she has called me a slut behind my back? Yes, really alphas can be so unimaginative in their insults for omegas. So what, I went through many heats unbounded, that doesn´t mean I had a different alpha for each and every one of them. I just hope she doesn´t make one silly joke about me introducing her to the real father of my children once I have them, or I will kick her out of my house, I have already warned Mycroft.”

 

“So, no love lost for our father in law? Ok, I will help with Siger, but in no way, will pressure Sherlock to do something if I feel causes him undue distress or hurt.”

 

“Thank you!!! You just have to come over to our house on Sunday. I know things will be tense and the interactions will be forced, but perhaps if we give them the opportunity to be together in the somewhat neutral territory, Siger will be confident enough to reach out for his sons, and establish some closeness.”

 

“I hope I don´t regret it.”

 

“I know things will not get better soon, but maybe we can nudge them in the right direction, don´t you think?”

 

“I am not sure. And just so you know, I am doing this for you.”

 

“For me?”

 

“I know how close you were with your mother and what a great relationship you had but…”

 

“The relationship with my mother was a complicated one John, it was far from being _great_ as you said. Yes, we loved each other very much, but we fought constantly. I often felt I was a disappointment to her. While she was alive, she frequently said she loved me, but she never told me she was proud of me…after she died Father gave me a letter she wrote to me, in that letter she said she knew I was my own person, and that even if we saw things differently, she was proud of me. That just felt wrong…I don´t know if she really meant that or she just wrote it because she thought I needed to hear it, and I will never be sure because she isn´t here to ask. I don´t want Mycroft or Sherlock to go through something similar, they still have the opportunity to get some answers, even if those answers won´t change anything between them and their mother.”

 

“Fine, we will be there, but really, I don´t like Siger, I just don´t.”

 

“Trust me, he is ok.”

 

\----------------------

 

The Sunday brunch was, as Itzel predicted, a tense affair, where the conversation was forced and impersonal, but with a few well-placed comments by John, Siger opened up a little to his sons, showing he could be a good listener as well as a supportive person. Mycroft had seen glimpses of that in his mother before, and now thanks to the things he had learned first through Sherlock´s relationship with John and now through his own relationship with Itzel, he was willing to try and be closer to him, after all being an alpha, the lack of affinity with his mother didn´t affect him so much.

 

But for Sherlock, well it would be a long time before he trusted his Mother, after all, it had been years of being ignored or worst, of being told he wasn´t the kind of omega his mother expected him to be. At least Siger didn´t miss the opportunity to express the good opinion he had of John as an alpha to Sherlock, which was an excellent thing since anyone who praised John earned a modicum of good will from Sherlock. And the best thing was that Siger meant what he said about John, otherwise Sherlock would just have closed off as always. Yes it will take long, and maybe it was late for them to have a real mother-son relationship, but at least the animosity between them would lessen.

 

\--------------------------

 

“I need your student ID”, said Sherlock, he was sitting on the chair in front of the table Itzel was occupying at the café they used to meet at every morning since Sherlock finished Uni.

 

“Hello, Sherlock, so nice to see you. How have I been? Oh, very well, thank you for asking.” answered Itzel, without lifting her eyes from the textbook she was reading.

 

“Again trying to be funny dear sister in law?”

 

“Well if you can´t try to be civil why should I stop trying to be funny?”

 

“You are in a good mood.”

 

“Why shouldn´t I be.”

 

“You are married to Mycroft”

 

“That joke became old when your brother and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary just a few months back.”

 

“Are you sure it hasn´t been longer”

 

“Yes Sherlock, you were at my wedding and at my anniversary party, although you probably just deleted that.”

 

“I am glad you understand the fact I can´t save irrelevant data.”

 

“So what do you need my ID for?”

 

“Next month there will be a series of conferences on forensic and criminal themes at the offices of NSY, open for students of your Uni”

 

“Yes, guess I saw some adds at the campus about that.”

 

“Well, give me your ID”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“If you use my ID to fill the register and attend those conferences, it will appear on my record, and I am specializing in educational psychology. Besides, why don’t you talk to that DI you have worked with before, the one you met before marrying and who then became friends with John? I am sure he can get you in.”

 

“His name is Lestrade, and he said he can´t, he has nothing to do with the organization of the conferences. _Not his division_ , apparently.”

 

“What does that mean? Oh, you annoyed the man didn´t you? Anyway, it isn´t like you need someone’s help to get somewhere you want to be.”

 

“I know, but John made me promise I wouldn´t get into places just because I could, and he was very specific about not getting into NSY offices unless I was invited.”

 

“And you think that using my ID to enrol in those conferences is better?”

 

“Well, I am asking you to give it to me, I could have just taken it without you noticing, or I could have hacked the system to register.”

 

“Oh, Sherlock…Why do you want to go anyway, thought you said that all the people who work at NSY are idiots.”

 

“Well, they are, that is the point. The conferences are not only for psychology students, there will be constables and sergeants, I can´t let them receive wrong information. They must be well trained if I am going to help them in the future, I refuse to be phoned for anything less than a case level 5, and if they want me in the crime scene, the case must be at least a 7”

 

“Now I understand why the DI refused to help you…You know you have another option right?”

 

“I won´t ask Mycroft.”

 

“Why can´t you leave behind that animosity? He loves you, Sherlock, he really does.”

 

“Like he loves you?”

 

That sentence felt like a slap to Itzel. She got up, picked her things and dropping her ID on the table she said, “Here is my ID, just make sure not to lose it, when you don´t need it anymore just leave it here with one of the waitresses.”

 

“Itzel I…”

 

“No Sherlock, just no.”, and with that, she left hurriedly

 

Sherlock knew that he had gone too far, that he really had hurt her. He had noticed the moment Itzel had begun to fall in love with Mycroft; it was a few weeks after they started sharing a bedroom, at the New Year´s party. He had been making sarcastic jokes about how the previous year she was the scandal of the party and now she was a respectable bonded omega. She had taken his jokes in her stride, like always and was being her usual self, but once Mycroft had finished whatever business he was taking care of and finally approached their table to asked Itzel out for a dance, he saw it. The way her smile changed, it became softer and more _real_ , for lack of a better word, like Mycroft was exactly who she had been waiting for all her life.

 

It was so obvious; he wondered how his brother had missed it. That big headed selfish bigot!!! If he had just refused to share a bedroom with Itzel, but no, Mr. I Am Above My Instincts, had finally succumbed to his nature, and like any other Alpha, he had taken the comfort that closeness to his omega brought him, and he didn´t stop to analyse the consequences like he usually did.

 

Yes, Mycroft had convinced himself that Itzel could be as clinical as he, in regards to their relationship that the physical part of it wouldn’t blur the lines of what they were, but just as Sherlock had predicted, Itzel had cracked. He was so angry with her, for becoming a cliché, the faithful omega wife, content with whatever scraps of attentions her alpha would give her.

 

Outwardly, she was holding it together; years of conditioning will do that for you. Omegas were raised to believe that it was normal to fall in love with their bonded alpha without having that love reciprocated, and they were taught to accept that; but no one told them how much-unrequited love could hurt, especially if the object of your affection was none other than your bond mate.

 

Sherlock knew Itzel was hurting, but as she was taught, she was managing it with _dignity_ and _discretion_. Sherlock kept wondering why Itzel accepted those lessons and not the ones her mother tried to teach her; if that were the case, she would have already confronted Mycroft, but no, she just…stayed there, pretending nothing had changed, and that their arranged marriage was just that.

 

There was an unspoken agreement between Sherlock and Itzel, he could criticize or make fun of Mycroft, and even of their marriage; but what Iztel felt for Mycroft or what Mycroft felt for Iztel were topics that should never be brought up, and today he had crossed that line.

\------------------------

 

“Hello love, how was your day?”

 

“Fine”, snapped Sherlock

 

“Ok, what is wrong?” whispered John, plopping beside John on the couch, putting an arm around him.

 

“Why do you think there is something wrong?”

 

“Because I know you.”

 

“I asked Itzel if Mycroft loves her.”

 

“You did what? Sherlock that was…that was…” spluttered John.

 

“I know.”

 

I _am going to kill those two, I swore that if their stupid decisions affected Sherlock I would do just that_ , thought John, barely controlling his anger at seeing his omega so upset.

 

“No need to go avenging me”, said Sherlock dismissively, guessing what John was thinking

 

“No? Your argument with Itzel really affected you. And don´t try to deny it, I can sense your distress”

 

“We didn´t argue and what is _affecting_ me is not something she did, but what I did. I regret what I said…”

 

John wasn´t surprised to hear that, yes Sherlock may love to point out the truth about each person he deduced, but he only did that as a defence mechanism. In his mind, he had come to the conclusion that no matter what he did, he was going to be rejected, then he would at least strike first, but with the people he cared about, he was sensitive and considerate, in his Holmesian way.

 

John just hugged him and tried to reassure him saying, “Sherlock…It will be ok. These things happen among friends, we snap at each other we say things we should not, but in the end, we get past that. I am sure that by next week the two of you will be squabbling like always.”

 

It took a little bit longer than John predicted for Itzel and Sherlock to make amends, but they did. Itzel had been reluctant to contact Sherlock, not because she was angry with him, but because she felt guilty. Yes, at first, she was upset because, Sherlock knew better than to bring up topics she didn´t want to talk about, but then she remembered she was the one who brought up the word _love_. Sherlock wasn´t to blame, but the way he had pinpointed the root of everything that had been worrying her of late, had been disconcerting. She wasn´t ready to name what she felt for Mycroft, and she certainly wasn´t prepared to question the depth of Mycroft´s regard for her. She knew he cared, but love? That was out of the question, Mycroft had always been clear about that.

 

\------------------------

_Please don´t antagonize every lecturer, it is my name that you are using :P_

_They deserve to be antagonized if they think Itzel is a boy’s name. SH_

_So how long do you think it will take them to notice you aren´t who you say you are :D_

_They won´t notice. SH_

 

\---------------------

 

“So you are going by Itzel now. Is that your middle name?” asked a man before sitting on the empty chair beside Sherlock.

 

“Lestrade.”, drawled Sherlock in response.

 

“Sherlock if you were going to use a fake ID, you should at least have chosen a real name.”

 

“It is not a fake ID”

 

“So you are telling me someone out there is actually called Itzel? Where do you posh people come up with these names?”

 

“Is there a reason why you are here?”

 

“I work here, what about you? Sherlock, there is a reason why I refused to help you attend these conferences.”

 

“Of course, there is, you are afraid that thanks to my presence your subordinates could actually learn something and make you lose your job.”

 

“No Sherlock. I want my co-workers to gain some knowledge. With you here that will be impossible.”

 

“I beg to differ, I am sure I am better prepared than any of your lecturers”

 

“Look, Sherlock, your abilities are undeniable, but first of all, you are too young, there are things you only learn through experience, and secondly not everybody has your intellect, these persons have to learn at their own pace and using the right techniques, your constant interruptions won`t help them. As much as your deductions help us, for court we need to support that with evidence processed in the right way, you know, according to the legal formalities, to ensure they can be refuted or worst, that we get accused of having fabricated them.”

 

“If I promise to sit through this lectures without interrupting and wait till the part of questions and answers. Will you let me stay?”

 

“Are you capable of doing that?”

 

“Of course”

 

“Why do I have a feeling I will regret this? Fine stay, but you better not…”

 

“Sherlock, Greg”, interrupted John, waving at them.

 

“John, what are you doing here?” asked Sherlock

 

“I called him”,

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I thought he was the only one who could convince you to leave, I never thought I would be allowing you to stay.”

 

“Really, you are letting him stay?” asked John surprised.

 

“Yeah, guess it will be good for everyone, as long as Sherlock doesn`t interrupt constantly.”

 

At that moment two member of the MET, a man, and a woman entered the auditorium, Sherlock, John and Greg were at, and once they were in hearing distance of the trio, the woman asked angrily, “Hey boss what is the freak doing here.”

 

“Donovan we talked about this.” growled Greg to the woman, noticing the defensive posture John had taken.

 

“Yes we did, and you said he wasn`t going to be here. I refuse to sit here knowing the freak is present.” added the man

 

Turning to them John said, “Anderson, Donovan, I think both of you should apologise to Sherlock, I don`t appreciate you calling him names”, snarled John.

 

“We weren´t calling him names, we were just stating what he is, he is a freak, an omega has no place solving crimes.”, said the man, Anderson.

 

At that John saw red and lunged against Anderson; while Donovan, in an attempt to help her friend, tried to punch John, which made Sherlock jump onto her. The shoving that followed would have become a full-blown fight if Lestrade hadn´t whistled with all his might, making all of them turn to look at him.

 

“To my office all of you now!”

 

\---------------------

 

“Do you have any idea what you just caused?”

 

“Sherlock you entered NYS pretending to be someone else. Donovan and Anderson your constant insults toward Sherlock can be considered discrimination, do you realize that? John, you hit a police officer, even if you did that in defence of your omega, it is punishable by law, and you just had to do that in an auditorium at NYS in front of at least 100 persons. Your squabbles at crime scenes I can handle, but this is out of my hands, I don’t know what will happen, but I assure you I won’t be held responsible for it.”

 

“And you won’t be Detective Inspector Lestrade”, said a man entering the DI´s office as if he owned the place.

 

Greg scanned the newcomer. He was tall, younger than him by a few years, an alpha, definitely, and a very attractive one at that. That thought surprised Greg, it had been a while since he had felt any interest for someone, his job had absorbed all his attention lately, but he was very careful to hide his reaction and he just asked coldly, “Excuse me, who are you?”.

 

“Mycroft Holmes, at your service”


	17. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the love triangle begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not know if I should add a tag after this chapter, anyway I just wanted to say that things between Mycroft and Itzel and Greg will get complicated, and they will do things a bit not good...but I think nobody is a saint and we all have our selfish moments...
> 
> As alway, thank you for Krefftii for been an awesome beta and friend; and any mistakes you see are mine and mine alone, since once again I added certain parts after she had gone through the chapter.
> 
> I hope you like this, would love to know what you think ;)

Chapter 16

 

“How can I help you Mr. Holmes?”

 

“I was sitting beside the Chief Superintendent when the debacle happened, and well, he was gracious enough to let me handle it”

 

“Really, I am to take your word for that?”

 

“No of course not, why don´t you call him to confirm what I am saying?”

 

But before Greg had the opportunity to even reach for his phone, he heard it ring to indicate a message had been received, it was from the Chief Superintendent and it just said: “Do what Mr. Holmes says, don´t want him saying our department refused to cooperate.”

 

“Well, Mr. Holmes seems I won´t have to make that call, so can you please tell me how we are supposed to proceed.”

 

Without answering Greg, Mycroft turned to John and Sherlock and said, “John, why don’t you escort Sherlock to the auditorium, everything has been arranged so he can attend the conferences.”

 

John, accustomed to Mycroft´s attitude, simply nodded to Greg and then dragged Sherlock out of the office, before the young omega made another scene.

 

As soon as they left, Mycroft turned to the two MET officers.   “Sargent Sally Donovan, Forensic Scientists Phillip Anderson, understand that a report will be added to your records stating your lack of sensibility for dealing with omegas, for the next three months you will be required to attend various courses about equality and tolerance, and of course you are expected to pass them with the highest marks. And I don´t hold you any longer, since you are also supposed to attend the conferences on forensic and criminal themes. Good day to the two of you and I hope you stop your current behaviour, the MET certainly doesn´t approve discrimination of any kind.”

 

Greg didn´t know what to think, he was angry at the way Mycroft Holmes had taken over the situation, it was his office and his people for fucks sakes, but it was obvious there was no point in opposing him.  “You heard Mr. Holmes you can leave now, I will talk with you later.”

 

Mycroft turned to thank DI Lestrade and say his goodbyes, but the older alpha beat him to it, “So let me guess, you are Sherlock’s older brother?”

 

“Indeed”

 

“John has mentioned you a couple of times, says you are very protective of your brother. Do you always do that, it must be exhausting?”

 

“I am afraid I don’t understand your meaning DI Lestrade”

 

“Do you always clean up Sherlock’s messes? You know that won’t teach him anything, I bet that is why he has that bad attitude. Don’t get me wrong, that kid is brilliant, but he needs to learn some people skills”

 

“I assure you, I don’t tend _to clean up my brother’s messes_ , but in this case I thought it was the wisest thing to do. Besides at least in this case, my brother’s _bad attitude_ , wasn’t the cause of the problem. Your people should be more tolerant towards omegas.”

 

“So he inherited the brains and you inherited the looks?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Oh come on, we both know that the animosity between those three, has nothing to do with Sherlock’s gender, but with his attitude.”

 

“I beg to differ, I am sure my brother displays the same _attitude_ with you and your team, and as far as I know you have never steeped so low as to use his gender to insult him.”

 

“Well no, of course not, perhaps you are right, it won´t hurt Donovan and Anderson to take those courses. So Mr. Holmes, John has mentioned you are a very important man, but would you like to have lunch with me? I feel I owe you that at least, what you did saved me a lot of trouble.”

 

Mycroft was intrigued by this man, any other alpha would be eager to get rid of him, after all he had invaded his territory and took control. He could sense the other alpha was angry, but not at him, just at the way things went. DI Lestrade’s attitude was unexpected. Mycroft had researched everything he could about him, after all he was constantly in touch with Sherlock, but there was only so much a file could tell you about a person. He had concluded DI Lestrade wasn´t a regular alpha, it was obvious from the way he treated Sherlock, and Mycroft was surprised to notice he would like to get better acquainted to the other alpha, would it be so wrong? Everybody needed _friends_ , right? No, it was a bad idea, there was enough sentiment in his life as it was, what with Sherlock and Itzel, he didn´t need more complications.

 

“Thank you DI Lestrade, but there is no need for that; and if anyone is in debt here, it would be me, letting me handle the situation couldn’t have been easy for you.”

 

“No, it´s ok, I have my ways to prove to my team who is the leader, believe me you handling this won´t affect me. But well, since you seem to think you are in debt with me, what about _you_ take _me_ to lunch?”

 

“You are an unusual individual DI Lestrade.”

 

“And why is that Mr. Holmes?”

 

“Well, you seem to like my brother, and now you are willingly offering to spend time with me. I assure you, that is quite uncommon, my brother and I aren´t precisely the _friendly_ type, he was always consider annoying and I was always considered boring.”

 

“And there it is, the Holmes’ sincerity. But if you don´t mind, I would like to judge by myself how boring I find your company, so once again Mr. Holmes, lunch?”

 

“If you insist.”

 

“Great, lets go.”

 

\-------------

 

Mycroft was surprised by how much he had enjoyed his lunch with DI Lestrade, no Gregory, he had insisted on being in a first name basis. Gregory was an open, honest man, with firm opinions, which he wasn´t shy to express and defend. It was refreshing to spend time with someone who didn´t expect to get something from him. Gregory didn´t have a secret agenda, it was obvious the older alpha liked his job and was proud of his achievements at the MET, and by socializing with Mycroft he wasn´t looking for a promotion or nothing of the sort.  Mycroft was sure Gregory had no idea of the kind of influence he held as the Holmes Heir, never the less of the power he had due to his position in government.

 

So when Gregory had said they should met again, Mycroft had agreed, and they had exchanged phone numbers, with the promise of scheduling something for next week.

 

\--------------

 

“Hi, how was your day?”, asked a sleepy Iztel from the bed.

 

“Just the usual. Sorry I did not mean to wake you up”, answered Mycroft while he put away his suit and began his night routine in order to go to bed.

 

“Don´t worry”, she said getting from under the covers and sitting up, “I texted Sherlock before dinner, he said you were today at NSY…”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Well it surprised me when I received a notification from the MET informing me you were attending certain conferences.”

 

“Damn alphas and their protocols.”

 

“Itzel I know Sherlock and you are used to help each other, but I will really appreciate it you refrain from doing things that border on illegal.”

 

“Why it would be illegal? Sherlock and I are _allowed_ to study. It is not fair that _our_ alphas have to be informed of every single detail of our curriculum. That is just ridiculous.”

 

“Perhaps, but that is the way things are. Besides the problem was the fact he used your ID, anyone at NSY could have considered that a case of stolen identity. You should know better. Sherlock may have DI Lestrade’s support, but there are persons at NSY that do not take kindly to the fact that an omega outsmarts them.”

 

“Ok, I will be more careful when agreeing to one of Sherlock´s plans” mumbled Itzel, and after a brief pause she asked, “So how is DI Lestrade?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“DI Lestrade. Sherlock said you went out for lunch with him.”

 

“He is an agreeable alpha.” Answered Mycroft simply.

 

“And…”, insisted Itzel and when Mycroft said nothing more and just got into bed with a book, she just blurted out: “Oh come on!!! Give me more details I am really curious about him, I think it is amazing he asks for Sherlock´s help on cases, not every alpha would do that. For what John says and the few things I have gotten out of Sherlock, it is clear DI Lestrade is patient, has tons of self-confidence and a sense of humour. So am I right?”

 

“Well, he isn´t the typical alpha, or at least not the kind you would expect to find at NSY. He obviously has control over his team and they look up at him as their leader, but he did not achieve it through intimidation or shows of alpha bravado, he earned their respect with hard work and doing the right thing. Yes, he is confident and that translates with him accepting help at work, and being overall friendly. I even accepted his invitation to _hang out_ some other time.”

 

“Great!! You need a friend Mr. Holmes.”, exclaimed Itzel happily, arranging herself in a way that allowed her to use Mycroft´s legs as a pillow.

 

“I do not think so Mrs. Holmes, but it was relaxing sharing a meal without having to look for hidden messages or veiled requests.”, answered Mycroft playing with Itzel´s hair.

 

“There you have it, a relaxed Mycroft is a better Mycroft, ask Anthea if you don´t believe me” sighed Itzel, while letting herself being petted, she loved it when Mycroft played with her hair, it felt so good!

 

“I am glad I did not marry you for your sense of humour.”

 

“Sherlock and you are the only ones who don´t think I am funny.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Whatever. So when are you going to meet DI Lestrade again.”

 

“I am not sure, maybe next week.”

 

“I hope you do. I was starting to wonder if I would have to arrange playdates for you.”

 

“Go to sleep dear wife, you are just speaking nonsense.”

 

“You can say whatever you want Mr. Holmes, but we all need someone to talk to and let off steam, I think DI Lestrade could be that person for you.”

 

“I thought I had you for that, we are friends, we talk about a wide range of things.”

 

“It is different between you and I. I do not know if it is because we are married, or the age difference, or the fact you are alpha and I am omega. But, well Mom once told me that as much as she and Father trusted each other, there were things they did not talk about or did not do together, that was what friends are for. You know? I mean for example, I would never take you shopping, and you would never take me to a jazz concert. Am I making sense at all? I don´t want you to believe I don´t value what we have, or that I don´t trust you.”

 

“I understand what you mean. Do not worry.”

 

“Good, because I really like being married to you.”

 

“And I like being married to you.”

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

And that conversation was why Mycroft found himself calling Gregory next day, and making plans to _hang out_. Before he knew it, his outings with Gregory became a weekly thing, every Wednesday they met. They mostly ate lunch together, but now and then they would go out to _have some pints_ , since Gregory insisted any self-respected alpha needed to go to a pub to drink and watch a match once in a while.

 

Mycroft did not hide from Itzel his get-togethers with Gregory; but even when she had hinted she would like to meet his _friend_ , he wasn´t comfortable with the idea of them together. Besides, he had not even told Gregory he was married.

 

Whenever he could, he liked to keep the different aspects of his life separated; it was something his Father had taught him many years ago. It ensured no one had enough information about who you really were or what were your pressure points, and as much as he knew neither Itzel nor Gregory would try to manipulate him or use against him what each of them knew about him, he taught it best to keep them apart. Who knew what those two could come up with if they ever met.

 

And there was also the fact that he found Gregory attractive. Most people liked to think of him as some kind of asexual being, even after he bonded, but he really wasn´t. He just knew how to be discrete, he didn´t feel the need to advertise how many notches were there on his bed. Once he bonded, his needs were very much satisfied with his omega, but spending time with Greg had awaken something in him. Being with an omega was different from being with an alpha. And he just did not know what to do about that.

 

Itzel was a good wife. She gave him companionship and had filled his home with warmth, but what they had had been born from necessity. As much as they had chosen to be together, Mycroft knew that if things had been different they wouldn´t have ended up married to each other. He was sure Itzel would not be surprised if at some point he took a lover, of course, he would have to inform her beforehand, and they would probably establish some rules to avoid any uncomfortable situations. But Gregory…well he wouldn´t accept that kind of relationship.

 

He had to tell Gregory about Itzel, but he just did not know how, he valued his friendship too much to risk losing it. It would have been easier a few months ago, but back then he had told himself that he was a private man and his acquaintance with Gregory was a casual one, he didn´t mean to bring the man into his life. He was fun to be around, but that was that. He could talk with Gregory about topics he couldn´t with Itzel, things he was interested in but that his omega didn´t like or care about; he could even talk a little about work, something he never did with Itzel in an attempt to keep her shielded from some harsh truths

 

But then their meetings had turned into something like dates, there was flirting and innuendo; and even if they hadn´t become physical, he wasn´t sure how much longer until they were. Really? What had he been thinking? He had to work something out and soon, especially considering that Sherlock had already noticed Mycroft´s interest in Lestrade. His little brother will surely try to meddle. He may not be an expert on sentiment, but he was sure that if Gregory or Itzel found out what was going on from Sherlock, and not from him things would get bad.

 

\-------------

 

Greg was happy for the first time in a long, long time. After a series of failed relationships he had given up on looking for someone to share his life. Most people didn´t understand him. As an alpha they expected him to be different, more dominant or more aggressive or more forceful, but the just wasn´t like that. He was comfortable with who he was, he knew his strengths and his weaknesses and he didn´t feel the need to prove himself to others. And then, there was his work, all his previous partners would complain at some point of the fact he had an impossible schedule, they would get angry when plans were ruined or when he had to leave in the middle of the night.

 

But his luck seemed to have changed since the day he met Mycroft Holmes. Yes Mycroft was an alpha, but that wasn´t important for Greg, he had engaged in relationships with persons of different genders in the past. He just didn´t care about that, he believed that attraction had nothing to do with gender, it was more complicated than that. There had to be something about the other person that called to you, something special and undefinable. Yes he was a romantic.

 

What Mycroft and he had was still in a grey area, but he was sure the younger alpha was interested in him. There have been a lot of flirting and if they hadn´t kissed yet was because Greg was waiting for the right moment. He could tell Mycroft was a private man, and someone not too comfortable with public shows of affection, that is why he was biding his time. But the time will come, it will certainly come.

 

Maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself, thinking of a relationship with Mycroft, but he really wasn´t one for flings. He wasn´t when he was younger and he certainly wouldn´t be now. He didn´t consider himself old, but surely he was of an age in which settling down sounded better each day, and wouldn´t it be great to settle down with someone as Mycroft Holmes? He was handsome, intelligent and mature, and he understood what it was like to have a demanding job. Yes, they could be good together, he just had to convince Mycroft, but he felt that he was half way there.

 

\--------------------------

 

It was Wednesday. Itzel had come to hate Wednesdays…Mycroft was losing interest on her, or maybe not, but it was obvious that he had an interest on DI Lestrade. Itzel had hoped that with time Mycroft could…could what fall in love with her? She knew that will never happened, not because he did not have a heart, like he used to say, but simply because he did not want to, and Mycroft Holmes simply did not do things he did not want to do.

 

They were going to the movies, and then to diner. That was what Mycroft had told her when he called earlier. Mycroft did not go to the movies, he simply did not, whenever he wanted to see a picture he would do it at home, after all they had a movie room. He hated being surrounded by so many people, he found the smell of popcorn distasteful, he thought sodas were too sweet…How had Gregory Lestrade convinced him of going to a movie theatre…

 

If she had known what will happened, she would have never insisted on Mycroft _becoming friends_ with Gregory Lestrade…Yeah, right, like that would have changed anything. If it was not the DI, it would have been someone else…At least it had not been Irene Adler, Lady Irene Adler, oh she hated the woman with a passion, she made her feel childish, inadequate, inelegant, clumsy…Yes, maybe she should be grateful it wasn´t a person like that the one Mycroft had chosen as a lover…

 

She knew Gregory was not Mycroft´s lover, their relationship had not became intimate in nature, she was sure of that, she could tell for the way Mycroft smelt when he returned home. Yes, there was the smell of the other alpha, but it was too faint.

 

But is was not that, it was the way Mycroft´s shoulders seemed less stiff whenever he had been with Gregory. The fact that it was easier to make him smile on Wednesdays…The way he would lick his lips when he told her something amusing Gregory had said or done…

 

A couple of times, at the beginning of Gregory´s and Mycroft´s _friendship_ , she suggested Mycroft to invite Gregory over to their house, but he had refused. She thought it had to do with his alphas possessives. But listening to Mycroft talk about the things he did with Gregory, made her come to the conclusion that Mycroft had never mentioned her to Gregory, furthermore, he had not told Gregory he was married.

 

Yes, Mycroft was attracted to Gregory, and she wasn´t sure how long it will be before her alpha decided to change the nature of his relationship with the DI. Of course, her alpha would talk to her first, it was the right thing to do, but he would not be asking her if she agreed, he would be simply informing her…

 

Maybe it would not be so terrible, Gregory Lestrade seemed like a decent alpha, and he did make Mycroft happy. As she once said, Gregory gave Mycroft things she could not…

 

If only she hadn’t developed deeper feelings for Mycroft…What a mess, and really there was no one else to blame but herself, she knew the terms of their marriage…Damn, why did Mycroft had to be so perfect? Maybe if he had been a little bit of a bastard…Time to stop, she was thinking stupid things now, was she really wishing for Mycroft to be like all those alphas she could not stand?

 

She had a good life. She had a good husband. She will do anything to keep things as they were, at least at the best of her abilities, so if that meant Gregory had to become Mycroft´s lover so be it. She would let Gregory have Mycroft on Wednesdays, if that meant she got to keep her alpha for the rest of the week. She could do this, really it wasn´t that bad, she knew of other omegas who were in worst situations than her, omegas who were ignored by their alphas, omegas who were sent to the countryside while their alphas lived here in London with their lovers.

 

At least in her case Mycroft would not send her away, because he did cared about her and he still desired her. Yes she could do this, after all what were her options? To share Mycroft or to lose him…there was no doubt of what she prefered.


	18. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Many times we keep quiet just to maintain the status quo, because we are afraid of losing the person most important to us...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, just more angst and miscomunication and bad decisions...hope you enjoy it nevertheless lol
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for all who are still reading this, I would love to hear what you think, so no pressure but comments are greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you for the ones who have left comments for this last chapters, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU: Girl4spring; DaringD, Lizlemler and magetha.
> 
> Once again THANK YOU Krefftii for being not only my beta, but my friend too and for making me want to keep writting this story ;)
> 
> Another special THANK YOU for AnJoan Grey, it made me very happy to know you are reading this.
> 
> Ok, I am done with the long note, I let you read this chapter lol
> 
> \----------------

Chapter 17

 

“You are more idiot than I thought, and you aren´t the kind of man I thought you were”, growled Sherlock

 

“What is your problem Sherlock? You have been giving me this bullshit lately and I certainly don´t have to put up with it.”, snapped Greg

 

“Oh, but you certainly put up with my brother.”

 

“That is none of your business Sherlock. What I do or don´t do with your brother has nothing to do with you.”

 

“Yes it has!!!”

 

“No, it doesn´t. I am still calling you on cases aren´t I? and if you are afraid I will use your brother´s influences to push my career you are…”

 

“See!!!” yelled Sherlock interrupting Greg, “You are an idiot, he hasn´t told you and you haven´t deduce it yet.”

 

“What are you on about? Just speak clearly.”

 

“Does the name Itzel rings a bell? Ask my brother about her.”

 

Greg recognized the name, it was the one on the ID Sherlock used to enter the conferences. He remembered that day, it was the day he met Mycroft, but he wasn´t in the mood to play games with Sherlock, so he simple answered, “No Sherlock, if there is something you think I should know about this Itzel person, you tell me now.”

 

“Itzel is my sister in law. She is Mycroft´s omega.”.

 

Greg felt the floor move under him, but he held himself steady. He wouldn´t give Sherlock the satisfaction of seeing how much it had affected him, although perhaps the genius had already guessed it, so he ended blurting out the first thing that came to his mind “He didn´t mention he was married…he doesn´t wear a wedding ring.”

 

“Really Lestrade, haven´t you learnt anything? Upper class alphas don´t wear wedding rings. There is just the engagement ring and the bite for the omega, nothing else is considered _necessary_.” snapped Sherlock and after that he left slamming Greg´s office door.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Greg had to confirm what Sherlock had said, he didn´t think he was lying, but still he hoped…Really, what was he hopping for? Mycroft Holmes was an upper class alpha, the kind that needed heirs, so taking a deep breath, he dialled Mycroft´s number.

 

“You are married,” Greg stated

 

“Yes”, answered Mycroft, what was the point of lying or trying to explain, it was obvious his little brother had stuck his nose where no one had asked him.

 

“You never mentioned it.”

 

“I didn´t think it was necessary.”, and it was true, Mycroft knew that telling Gregory about his marriage would change things…

 

“You…what?”. Mycroft must be fucking kidding him, “Ok I am an idiot as Sherlock said, I am a crappy DI, but I know when flirting is happening, and excuse me, but flirting happened between us, you can´t deny it, it was more than just two friends hanging out. I know you posh people have your own ideas about marriage and bondings, but I was brought up differently. Really I just…I thought.”, finished Greg feeling furious but drained, he had made so much plans, he had imagined them together…

 

“Gregory I apologies for…”, for what? For not telling him he was married? For flirting back? For finding him attractive? What was Mycroft apologizing for?

 

“Leave it Mycroft, just. Excuse me but I don’t think I can keep doing whatever it is we were doing. I really enjoy your company, but this just feels wrong. So please consider this as me permanently suspending our weekly _dates_.”, said Greg in the coldest tone Mycroft had ever heard him use.

 

\-----------------------

 

Mycroft didn´t let himself think about his conversation with Greg until he was safely at his home office, but now with no immediate business claiming for his attention, he could relax and ponder about the whole thing. Mycroft wasn´t sure how he felt about losing Greg´s _friendship_ , he wasn´t even sure what he expected to get from his association with the DI, besides spending some time with him, since he knew anything else would be impossible, Gregory’s moral code wouldn´t have allowed him to have any kind of intimate relationship with him.

 

Mycroft was distracted with his thoughts, but still, he heard when the front door to his home opened and instantly recognized the steps nearing his office. He did not need this now, but perhaps it would be better, if only to end this once and for all.

 

“So you didn´t go for _pints_ with your _friend_ Lestrade today brother dear?”, asked Sherlock with false sweetness.

 

“Sherlock…”, began Mycroft only to be interrupted by Itzel entering his office too.

 

“Could you please let Sherlock and I talk in private?” requested Itzel politely.

 

He knew what or rather who, Itzel and Sherlock would be discussing. He knew Sherlock didn´t approve his closeness to Gregory. He knew Itzel had noticed his attraction to the older alpha. But he just wasn´t sure how this conversation would go. It was disconcerting not being on top of the game, but he found his brother as well as his wife difficult to read when they went into _upper class omega mode_ , a failure he had to work on, he really couldn´t afford not knowing what was going on between those two.

 

“I don´t think…”, started Mycroft

 

“Sherlock is here to talk with me, please could you give us a few moments alone?”, interrupted Itzel.

 

Mycroft was surprised by his wife´s forcefulness, but he decided it would be best to leave them alone, he had a better chance of knowing what was happening once Sherlock left. “As you wish my dear wife, I will be waiting in the library”.

 

Itzel just nodded to Mycroft while he left them alone, and once she was sure her alpha wasn´t at hearing distance, she said, “Thank you. I know what you are trying to do. You don´t know how much it means to me, seeing you so worried on my behalf, but there is no need for that Sherlock. My marriage is a business deal remember? and in the clauses of that deal, fidelity from the alpha was never established.” said Itzel calmly, even if while saying that she felt like her heart was being squeezed by an invisible force

 

“You are going to accept that?” asked Sherlock coldly.

 

“I accepted the possibility the day I signed the prenup.”, replied Itzel, feeling proud of herself at how steady her voice sounded, even if she wanted to crawl into a dark hole and cry till the pain of knowing she wasn´t enough for Mycroft went away.

 

“But things have changed.”

 

“No, we are still just friends who happen to be married.”

 

“You share a room, you sleep together every night for crying out loud.”

 

“It´s convenient. He is an alpha I am an omega, sleeping together is comforting; it helps settle down that part of each other’s nature.”

 

“So you have an explanation for everything then? How long do you think those lies will be enough to explain your _closeness_ to my brother?”, demanded Sherlock while staring into Itzel´s eyes.

 

“For me, they haven´t been enough since I realized I have feelings for Mycroft, but for your brother they will be enough for a very long time…”, answered Itzel sadly, lowering her eyes, since she couldn´t keep looking Sherlock in the eyes. “Please Sherlock, whatever you are thinking, I have thought myself. I know how pathetic I am, how sick and twisted my relationship with your brother is…”

 

Sherlock sighed and after a moment hesitation, he approached Itzel and hugged her. “I would like to say that Mycroft will notice what is going on with you, but I doubt he will. He is too comfortable with the way things are at the moment. He has the luxury of an omega, without the sentimental complications. I promised myself I wouldn´t let whatever it is you have with my brother come between our friendship, so this is the last time I will interfere in your marriage, I don´t understand what you are doing and I think you are making really bad decisions, but they are yours to make. Just know that if you ever need some time away from my brother I can help you come up with an excuse.”

 

“Thank you Sherlock”, whispered Itzel and after a moment she released herself from Sherlock´s hug and asked, “So how much have you annoyed DI Lestrade? Will he still be calling you to help in cases?”

 

“I don´t know. I think I have annoyed him more than usual; I may have called him an idiot trice as normal, and well, I also insulted his integrity.”

 

“I will go talk with DI Lestrade, I hope to convince him to let you keep helping out in cases but you must promise me you aren´t going to be rude to him on my behalf. You will also promise me you won´t interfere between John and Greg, whatever happens between them, it´s their business, their friendship has nothing to do with this.”

 

“I promise.”

 

“Ok, then, see you tomorrow at the café, like always.”

 

“See you.”

 

\--------------------

 

After Sherlock left, Itzel took a few minutes in the bathroom in order to make sure here face did not show any traces of her inner turmoil. She also went to the kitchen in a futile attempt to delay talking to Mycroft, but she knew her husband had heard Sherlock leaving, and he would be expecting her, so she held her head high, straightened her back and went to the library in search of her husband.

 

“Sherlock has left, and Cook is reheating dinner.”

 

“What did he want to talk about?”

 

“DI Lestrade

 

What did Sherlock expected to accomplish? He had never thought to hide from Itzel the fact he went out with Gregory, but if he was honest, there was something he hadn´t mentioned. “Itzel you must know, that yes I am attracted to DI Lestrade, but nothing untoward has happened between us. We really just went out and talk, I find his company _agreeable._ ”

 

“No need to explain anything Mycroft, really. I know you, and even if I noticed there was something else about your _friendship_ with DI Lestrade, I just knew you hadn´t acted on it, otherwise you would have let me know. You have never lied to me and well, we are both aware of the nature of our marriage, if you remember correctly, I once mentioned I didn´t expect exclusivity.”, smiled Itzel, while she once again felt like her heart was being crushed.

 

“If I ever decided to take a lover, I would inform you first.”

 

“I know, and since we are already talking about that, I have one request, when you do take a lover, just make sure to bath and change clothes when you return home. I am not sure how I would handle smelling someone else on you, I simply haven´t the same control over my instincts as you have.”, replied Itzel even if she just wanted to scream and shout and tell Mycroft he should never want a lover, because he had her, he had her completely. Why wasn´t she enough for him when he was everything for her?

 

“Is this your way of telling me why you are so sure nothing happened between Gregory and myself?”

 

What were they talking about…Oh yes, the smells on Mycroft. Since he had been meeting with DI Lestrade, Itzel could sense a different smell on Mycroft, it was not too strong, but it was always there, proof of the time her alpha willingly spend with someone else. Someone else who had not touched him, but who wanted to…“Maybe.”, answered Itzel simply, “Come on, let’s go have dinner, I won´t deal with Cook if she has to reheat the food again.”

 

“Fine dear wife, lead the way”

 

\-----------------------

 

By the time John arrived at the pub where he met Greg every week, the DI was already there, with a couple of empty beer bottles in front of him.

 

“John”, said Greg while opening another beer

 

“Greg”, answered John taking the beer from Greg before he had a chance of taking a sip form it.

 

“You didn´t mention anything.”

 

“I wasn´t sure if I should. I was counting on Mycroft telling you at some point. I am sorry, I realize now I should have told you as soon as you hinted about being interested in Mycroft.”

 

“Nah, you are right, we alphas don’t talk about those kind of things. It is always awkward to mention anything, since the other can deny everything and you end up looking like a nosy fool.”

 

“Exactly.”, replied John, relieved that his friend understood.

 

“Cheers mate, for fucking Holmeses”

 

“Cheers”, answered John.

 

After that they drank in silence, but John could see the curiosity in Greg´s eyes, so he decided to talk to him about, well about the Holmes.

 

“I still remember the way you looked at me after we met and Sherlock told you I was his fiancé.”

 

“Sorry, but really Sherlock was like 16 and you were already a grown up man, it was strange for me you know? Next day I felt like reporting you to childcare or omegacare, or something, till I realized that if Sherlock´s family was ok with it, there wasn´t much anyone could do.”

 

“They have their own set of rules you know? Nothing illegal per se just…unfair and antiquated. I know in everyday life omegas still face certain discrimination, especially in some areas in which they have to work double than alphas just to prove they are capable, but it is widely accepted they are their own persons. But upper class omegas, they, well they are still, seen as nothing more as breeders and pretty trophies. So the ones that don’t conform to that, have a difficult life, that is why I thought marrying Sherlock will grant him the life he wanted, even if it meant he had to bond with a man twice his age, the other candidates his parents had in mind, would just have done everything in their power to break him.”

 

“You are good together, yes, Sherlock may be young, but that brain of his…Don’t think someone his age would be able to really understand him.”

 

“Yes, I like to think that, although there are times I am still unsure about our relationship…I love him but I keep wondering if out there, there isn´t someone better for him…I am too… _normal_ …”

 

“Stop that, you are perfect together, if I can see it, then it must be true.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“So this girl, Itzel, is she a teenager?”

 

“Itzel isn´t like Sherlock, not exactly. She, well, from what I know, her mother was extraordinary, quite the liberal omega. Her mother wasn´t born among the upper classes, so Itzel was brought up differently, for once, her mother convinced her father, it wasn´t physically or emotionally healthy for an omega to be bonded as soon as their first heat struck, and she was also able to make sure Itzel went to Uni. But her mother died before Itzel finished Uni, I don’t know to what extent, but it seems that her death affected Itzel very much and her father, not knowing what else to do, decided to marry her off.”

 

“So instead of helping her overcome her loss, their solution was to have her bonded.”

 

“Well, we are civilized, but we can´t deny our biology, being bonded has helped her. She seems genuinely happier, and I think her eating habits are healthier now.”

 

“Thank you I feel so much better now. I really needed to know Mycroft´s bonded omega is a teenager with an eating disorder caused by her mother´s death.”

 

“Sorry no, I didn´t mean to…What I am trying to say is that Itzel isn´t a teenager, she is older than Sherlock by a couple of years and the age difference between her and Mycroft isn´t as significant. I won´t lie to you, they both care for each other, but their marriage, well it is not what you would consider normal; it can be so _cold_ sometimes, they plan and make agreements about things that, well, in a regular marriage are a given.”

 

“John, I don´t know what you are trying to tell me.”

 

“Itzel isn´t completely like her mother. She couldn´t possibly be, after all she grew up among the upper class. She has come to accept as normal some of those antiquated ideas.”

 

“Like her alpha having a lover?”

 

“Yes…I guess…I don´t know. She isn´t stupid, that´s for sure, so she must have guessed there was something more when Mycroft started going out with you.”

 

“Hey, there was nothing _more_ , we just…”

 

“Mycroft Holmes doesn´t socialize. So yes, there was something more. I am willing to bet, she even though she should be grateful by the fact it took Mycroft so long to look for someone else.”

 

“How long have they been married?”

 

“A couple of years.”

 

“God!! How sick is that?!?!”

 

“It is normal for them.”

 

“You agree with that?”

 

“No, I just have learnt to not judge. Don´t get me wrong, I still want to shake their parents every time we are at _family gatherings_ ; make them realize how much they have hurt their children, the three of them. But I realize that there is nothing I can do for Itzel or Mycroft, and sometimes not even for Sherlock, they have to find what is right for them on their own.”

 

“I´ll trust you on that, I certainly can´t wrap my mind around their views and I don´t want any part in it, that is for sure.”

 

At that, John just shook his head, because if he had learnt anything since he met the Holmes, it was that once you came in contact with them, it was difficult to stay away; they were too intriguing and alluring in their own way. He certainly wouldn´t judge Greg, Mycroft or Itzel, they were all old enough to know what they were doing, and as always, he would just intervene if he thought the situation could hurt Sherlock, but he doubted that, his omega had grown up a lot in the last years, and he was better at handling his own emotions. He may be sad on Itzel´s behalf, and he will try to be supportive, but that was it, his talk with Itzel seemed to have helped.


	19. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Itzel does a couple of things "a bit not good"...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wednesday again, which means an update for this story, this is a shorter chapter than the previous ones, still I hope you like it.
> 
> Thank you to Krefftii, por editing and for giving me the boast I needed to actually post this chapter, I just hope you do not hate Itzel for this, what can I say, she is kind of passive-agressive.
> 
> Again, you know I would love to hear from you, comments are highly appreciated.

Chapter 18

 

“Good afternoon. Are you Detective Inspector Gregory Lestrade?”

 

Greg was sure he had never seen this young omega in his life, but there was something about her that seemed familiar, “Yes Miss…”

 

“Misses Itzel Holmes.”, supplied the omega, and then it hit him, that was why she seemed familiar, because of her scent…

 

“Mycroft´s wife?” blurted out Greg, stating the obvious.

 

“Yes, and Sherlock´s sister in law.”, commented Itzel not feeling ready to hear Lestrade talk about Mycroft, not just yet. “I know that you have let Sherlock consult on cases for a few years, and I´ve heard that lately he has been quite rude to you, more than normal.”

 

“I…”, stammered Greg, really what was he supposed to say to this girl, he was sure Sherlock had told her everything that had happened, not that much had happened, but still.

 

“I am here on Sherlock´s behalf. Helping in cases means a lot to him, we’ve talked and I promise he won´t be bugging you anymore, well no more than his usual standards. It will be great if you kept asking him to help you.”

 

“Misses Holmes, I assure you there is nothing for you to worry about… I was thinking on calling Sherlock and John, we will work out whatever happened, you know, set some rules so he keeps helping with cases.”.

 

“Well, that is great. Thank you.”

 

“It is settled then, I will work thing out with Sherlock, set some rules so he keeps helping with cases.. If you excuse me now, I …”

 

“Please, DI Lestrad, I also came to talk to you about a…private matter”, interrupted Itzel, “I think it is almost your lunch time, would you mind if I accompany you?” asked the omega calmly, even if she was a nervous wreck inside and wanted nothing more to demand Greg to stay away from Mycroft.

 

“Misses Holmes, I assure you there is nothing to talk about…”, the last thing Greg needed was to come back from launch with the smell of a distressed omega on his clothes. Even if not all his co-workers were alphas, there were still a lot of them, and they tended to let their protective instincts run wild, considering their line of work.

 

“Please Detective Inspector, I need to talk with you.” she asked him once more.

 

She seemed calm enough, maybe she just needed certain reassurance about what happened, after all Sherlock had a flare for dramatics, “Ok, I will just grab my jacket and tell my boss I´m going out for lunch.”

 

“Thank you, I´ll wait for you by the lifts.”

 

\---------------

 

“Are you sure you don´t want something else?” asked Greg, remembering what John had said about Itzel´s eating habits.

 

“No, I am fine, I am not that hungry, this muffin is really good, and the coffee is great!”

 

“Well it is coppers’ coffee, it has to be strong.”

 

“I will ask Sherlock to bring me some when he comes to NSY, although he would probably forget about it.”

 

“You are close to Sherlock?”

 

“You seem surprised about that.”

 

“Well, you know Sherlock, he is brilliant but he can be a little…”, Greg didn´t dare finish that sentence, he didn´t understand what was wrong with him, he just kept blurting out everything that crossed his mind, for fucks sakes, he almost insulted Sherlock in front of his sister in law.

 

Itzel smiled, the fact that Gregory had stopped before outright insulting Sherlock, said a lot about him, and she replied “I know, he is kind of an acquired taste isn´t he? But answering your question, yes we are close, we met when we were children and, well, we have been through similar experiences so we understand each other.”

 

“So, your family and the Holmes go way back?”

 

“No, I wouldn´t say that, Sherlock and I go way back, with the rest of the Holmes I really had not much contact before my engagement with Mycroft.”

 

“Of course, it was an arranged marriage.” Greg blurted once again, incapable of stopping himself from saying that once more, really what was wrong with him?

 

“Indeed” said Itzel smiling at Greg, he was sure she was trying to not laugh at him, he was acting all awkward.

 

And yes, she was trying not to laugh out loud, but her laughter had nothing to do with Greg, it came from a dark place inside her, a place where all her insecurities rested. She wanted to laugh at herself, here she was trying to convince this man to become her alpha´s lover, just because she thought it would be safer…She could explain Mycroft having a relationship with Greg telling herself it was because Greg was different from her, he was an older alpha who knew things about the real world, things like the ones Mycroft dealt with at work…if Greg were an omega she would not be here…

 

After a brief uncomfortable pause, Itzel, looked into Greg´s eyes and simply said, “Please Detective Inspector there is no reason for you to be nervous.”

 

“I´m not nervous.”

 

“Yes you are, you are blurting out everything that crosses your mind.”, pointed out Itzel.

 

Greg wondered if being able to read how people were feeling was a requisite for all the ones who married a Holmes, John was also like that. So he decided it would be best for him to just speak clearly, “Look this is uncomfortable, so let’s just address the reason why you are here. You obviously are an intelligent omega, otherwise you wouldn´t know how to deal with Sherlock, nor would you have married Mycroft, so I am going to be honest with you. Yes I have being going out with Mycroft these last months, yeas I may be a little attracted to him and yes maybe we flirted a little, but that was that. When Sherlock informed me of your existence, I left things as they were and Mycroft, well you know him, he is a decent alpha, but well, we all have our weak moments.”

 

“Mycroft likes to think he doesn´t have weak moments”, Itzel said seriously, it was now or never, she had to say what she came here to say, “We have been married for two years now, and despite what everybody predicted we are good together, and maybe it is because we both entered this marriage without false expectations. It was more a business deal than a marriage, as Sherlock loves to point out. Mycroft didn´t promise fidelity and I didn´t demand it. The possibility of him taking a lover was always there.”

 

“I am sorry I don´t understand.” asked Greg bewildered, she couldn´t be saying what he thought she was saying, right?

 

“I am here to tell you that I am not an _impediment_ for you to start seeing Mycroft.”

 

Greg was furious, how could this girl, come and tell him that, he wanted to scream at her, but he didn’t want to make a scene, so he only hissed under his breath, “So what? You are going to _share_ Mycroft with me? Is that how little you care for your husband?”

 

“No, Detective Inspector, that is how much I love him.” replied Itzel with brutal honesty. There it was, what she hadn´t been able to tell Sherlock, what she hadn´t even been able to confess to herself. She was so afraid to put into words what she felt for Mycroft, because then it would become real, and it will just hurt more. And she had been right, saying it now, knowing Mycroft did not feel the same, knowing that even when he cared for her he still felt attracted to someone else, had killed a little part of her.

 

Greg looked at her, really looked at her for the first time since she had introduced herself. Yes, she was in love with Mycroft and then it dawn on Greg. “He doesn´t know how you feel about him.”

 

“Well, that is Mycroft for you, he can deduce all the facts about a person, but he still finds it difficult to read emotions, especially if those emotions are directed at him. He considers himself unlovable.”

 

“Why would you do something like that?”

 

“Because I cannot divorce him and I see no point in playing the denial game. You see, I can´t leave in order to really get over him nor I can have all of him, so I´ll get whatever I can, on my terms.”, even if it makes me feel that my heart just froze over, thought Itzel.

 

“What is wrong with you? Don´t you have any self-respect?”

 

“No, in the way you understand it, I don´t. All I have is this love inside of me that I can´t show because then he will push me away. I can´t stand the idea of waking every day to an empty bed, of not hearing his voice, of not feeling him. He is everything to me. I…”, and just like that all the raw emotion that had shined on Itzel´s eyes while she poured her heart to Greg, dimmed and she just mumbled “All you need to know is that you can see each other, I won´t oppose, I won´t make a scandal…”

 

“You won´t be jealous?” asked Greg sarcastically

 

“I´m only human Detective Inspector.”, whispered Itzel sadly, fighting with all her might to keep inside the tears she could feel at the corner of her eyes.

 

But Greg couldn´t feel sorry for her, he was too angry with the situation, yes John had told him how the upper classes viewed marriage, but still…“You are a strange one, you´ve decided it is Ok for me to have a relationship with Mycroft. Have you consider what I think, what I want? I may be a _commoner_ , but I do have principles and adultery just isn´t my cup of tea.”

 

“Is it really adultery if the affected partner agrees to it? I´m not enough for him, and I´m not saying that in a self-deprecating way, I know my own worth, but I can recognize that Mycroft is a complex individual, what he finds in you, I can´t give him. But you are right, it is you the one who has to decide whether you want a relationship with Mycroft or not. All I ask is that you keep in mind that I will be accepting, if you and Mycroft start seeing each other”

 

I don´t understand…how a young, attractive and intelligent omega can degrade herself to this extent…I am telling you now that I won´t have a relationship with Mycroft. I can´t, as attractive as he is, I respect myself too much to _date_ a married man. Goodbye _Misses Holmes_ , I hope you have a good life”, what kind of sick brainwashing had this girl gone through? If he ever happened to meet her Father he would tell him a couple of truths.

 

Greg got up angrily and left some bills on the table, but before he left, Itzel grabbed his wrist and told him, “Mycroft has a way of getting under ones skin, he is difficult to resist. Just know that when you finally cave in, I won´t judge you, because I know how it feels.”

\----------------------------------

 

“You went to NSY today.” asked Mycroft as soon as he entered their bedroom, Itzel was already in bed looking through a magazine. He seemed calm, but she knew he was barely controlling his anger. She had overstepped all of Mycroft´s boundaries, she knew that, but as she had told Lestrade, if Mycroft was going to take a lover, it would be on her terms.

 

“Yes”, she answered while she kept looking at the magazine.

 

“Why?” inquired Mycroft while taking off his jacket and tie.

 

“You know why.”

 

“There was no need for that, I…”

 

“You have given me all I´ve wanted, you are always trying to make sure I am happy, I thought I could reciprocate by explaining to Sargent Lestrade the nature of our marriage.”, said Itzel interrupting Mycroft and looking at him for the first time since he entered their bedroom.

 

“He insulted you.” stated Mycroft

 

“No, not really, he just voiced his opinion, and I didn´t feel offended, what he said isn´t true. Besides I can see why he said all the things he said, he doesn´t understand how things work between us or in any arranged marriage, for that matter. And before you say it, I know you don´t need to see DI Lestrade, but you want to, and you want so few things…it just felt right to help you out this once.”, if only I could be all you wanted, she said to herself.

 

Mycroft was so angry at Itzel, but he wouldn´t yell at her, he was above that, so he just said, “If I wanted a lover I could very much get one, I don´t need you going around convincing anyone of accepting my advances. Or is this your way of letting me know you are tired of my presence in your bed?”, and wasn´t that the real reason why he was so angry, the idea of Itzel being tired of their arrangement…

 

No, no, anything but that, please, thought Itzel desperately she was doing this to keep Mycroft not to lose him, so she just answered, “ **Our** bed, and no I am not tired of sharing it with you. Mycroft, I just…I do not know how to say this without it sounding terrible…”

 

“Well, try.”, snapped Mycroft

 

What was she supposed to tell him? She had really angered him and now he thought she did not want him. She was so stupid…Maybe half the truth would help…“You are not like other alphas, always looking for their next conquest. You don´t let your nature fog your mind. You can appreciate if someone is beautiful or sensual, but that doesn´t mean you want them for yourself. The fact that you felt attracted to Gregory was very telling. I care for you, not because you are my husband, but because we have become friends. So, I thought I should help you be with someone **_you_** wanted to be with. I knew you wouldn´t seek Gregory on your own volition, because, well, he is not the kind of persons who would accept to have an affair with a married man, and you would never take a lover without revealing my existence to that person because you feel obligated to me, to our marriage, but I don´t want you to resent me at some point. You have been a great husband, I am happy, I just wish you were happy too.”. Itzel didn´t dare say anything else, afraid of what she might reveal. Afraid Mycroft could notice she was not being completely honest, and if he called her on that fact, she didn´t know if she would be able to not tell him how much she loved him.

 

“And what do you expect to happen when you find someone **_you_** want to be with, my dear wife?” just saying that made Mycroft want to smash something…No, he wasn´t like that, he wasn´t a possessive, mindless alpha, he just wasn´t.

 

“I find that prospect unlikely, as I told you once, I was properly brainwashed. The idea of someone else but you touching me is distressing. What can I say? I was conditioned for life. And please don´t feel guilty or overanalyse what I said, it is just the way things are, the way I am. You are my husband, my alpha and I will always be faithful to you.” answered Itzel, using all her will power to not think on how much she loved Mycroft, afraid that he would read it on her face.

 

For his part, all Mycroft could think about for a few seconds after what Itzel had said was, _My Omega, Mine._ It always startled him how much that thought calmed a part of him he tried to ignore, since it was nothing but instinct and sentiment. He was beginning to believe that allowing himself this closeness with Itzel had been a bad idea, but it was too late for changing anything, he was too selfish to let go of the warmth she provided him. He pushed those thoughts to the deepest part of his mind and stated the facts, “In any case my Dear wife, as you pointed out, I don´t think Gregory would want to have any kind of _association_ with me, he has a strict code of honour.”

 

“Just wait.” answered Itzel, she knew Lestrade will not stay away for long.

 

That night, Mycroft excused himself saying he had pressing matters to attend. He never made it to bed, he just worked till morning.


	20. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg does a lot of thinking and talking...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! First of all I want to thank everybody who has taken to time to read this story, it has already reached the 3000 hits!!! I am so happy about that!!! This is just my second story and even if it is based on the Sherlock BBC fandom, it has taken a life ot its own, and gone way of canon, and despite that there are still people interested on it, which is great for me as the writer. so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
> 
> A very special THANK YOU for Krefftii, thanks for editing my crazy ramblings and for being so supportive of this story.

Chapter 19

 

He was a fool, a total and complete fool. What was he thinking? Mycroft Holmes was way out of his league. He was younger, and smarter and not to mention an heir, which obviously meant he was expected to produce off springs; of course he would be bonded to an omega.

 

He had hopped…but he must be accustomed to that already, life had shown him again and again that the happy domestic life wasn´t for him. All his relationships had ended badly…apparently he was too intense, gave too much, asked too much…But he couldn´t help it, wasn´t love supposed to be like that?

 

One of his lovers had said to him, he was so in love with the idea of being in a relationship that he overlooked everything else. That he turned a blind eye to who his partner really was, and therefore he wasn´t able to see when he was being lied to, or worse, when he was being used; and right now that was how he felt, he felt used.

 

He couldn´t understand why people found it so difficult to commit to just one lover. He had suffered because of that already, a few years ago he was to get married, to this incredible omega, a match made in heaven, according to everyone. They were perfect for each other, compatible in every possible way, or so had he thought until he discovered she liked to spend her heats with different alphas, and that was a practice she wasn´t willing to give up after they got married, apparently she liked viariety...

 

Oh yes, she swore she loved Greg, but she said her body had needs that Greg alone couldn´t satisfy. That surprised him so much, he grew up with the conviction that love, real love, meant you had found the person who could satisfy all your needs, and if maybe it wasn´t 100% perfect, the total of what you received from that person was enough to make you not look somewhere else for the missing bits.

 

And now, here he was dating a married man, well not dating him anymore, but still…Mycroft and his wife had this strange marriage, and they had tried to drag him into the equation, like he was the magical answer to avoid Mycroft getting bored of playing house…

 

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What was it about Mycroft Holmes that had Greg falling so hard and so fast? He wouldn´t say it was love, not yet, but it certainly felt it could have gotten to that. They were good together, they made each other laugh and they understood each other, they had similar likes and dislikes, not too exact, as to become bored, but not as different as to cause difficulties. He had pictured himself with Mycroft, living together, sharing a home, spending quite nights as well as passionate ones. But that wasn´t meant to be, if he accepted Mycroft, they would just share stolen moments… they would most likely set some kind of schedule and obviously festivities spent with family, would take Mycroft home with his wife, he couldn´t tell his family he was in a relationship, and if he did, he would never be able to introduce his partner to them…

 

God!!! What was he thinking, was he really considering having a relationship with Mycroft? He wasn´t that desperate or lonely. He just wasn´t, he had his job, and friends and family…Yeah right, a job in which he had invested all his time and efforts, in order to have an excuse to not spend time with said friends and family. He just felt like an outsider when he was with them, they all had their own lives, and for them Greg was just the single uncle or friend who disrupted the seating arrangements, since he didn´t have a partner. No, he had to stop thinking like that, he had dignity, he wouldn´t become someone’s lover just to avoid being alone, to have the illusion of someone caring for him.

 

Yes, he would get over Mycroft Holmes, after all he was just someone he met by chance and with whom nothing happened…

 

\--------------

 

“Hey Boss, what are you doing here?”

 

“Just going over some papers, is there anything I can do for you Donovan?”

 

“Eh…, no just…”

 

“Yes?” said Greg raising an eyebrow.

 

“Well, you would normally go out for lunch on Wednesdays, but you haven´t been doing that for the past month, and well you seem kind of…distracted, so I was wondering if there was anything I could do, you know, if you wanted to talk or something.”

 

At that Greg raised both eyebrows and laughed loudly. “So you got the shortest straw?”

 

“What do you mean”, stammered Donovan blushing.

 

“I am guessing the team has been wondering what is wrong with me, and you all came to the conclusion that one of you must talk with me, but since none of you volunteered, it was the infallible game of drawing out straws, so luck would decide who the poor soul was who would try to comfort me. Am I wrong?”

 

“Ah, well no, you aren´t. Boss, we don´t show it much, and well work is what brought us together and everything, but we are a team, that means we look after each other.”

 

“Even Sherlock?”

 

“What?!?”

 

“Oh, I saw you, sticking up for Sherlock the other day, when DI Dimmok was being an ass to him.”

 

“Yeah, well, the kid is smart, even if he is rude as hell. Thanks to him our records have improved and I realized I was being a prat, just because he pointed out something about me I wasn´t ready to acknowledge.”

 

“So no more Anderson?”

 

“Nope, that is a shameful part of my life, let’s not mention it again ok?”

 

“Sally, can I just ask you a question about that?”

 

“It won´t affect my work I swear.”

 

“No, it is a more personal question, you don´t have to answer if you don´t want to”

 

“Ok…”

 

“Why did you accepted having a relationship with him, you knew he was married.”

 

“Well, being here at work almost all day long makes it difficult to meet new people you know? And we have interests in common and saw each other daily and it just happened, it seemed like a good idea at the time”

 

“A good idea?”

 

“Yes, I was lonely and I needed some stress relief, he was there. I just took the opportunity. I didn´t really want a relationship, I am too focused on my career. So I knew he wouldn´t be demanding as a boyfriend, that he wouldn’t expect me to go on dates or anything, so there wasn´t a risk we would get in a fight because I couldn´t make it to one of our appointments or if I left in the middle of a family reunion.”

 

“And then, what happened?”

 

“I am not sure. What we had, it became too…complicated, the initial…playfulness and lightness of it got lost, there was only drama, drama and more drama. I would ask things of him he couldn´t grant to me and vice versa, there was jealousy from both parts, and lies, so many lies…Suddenly one day I noticed he would get jealous if I was friendly to someone else at work, and I started getting jealous if he refused to spend time with me because of his wife.”

 

“Would you say you fell in love?”

 

This was starting to feel like an interrogation, but Sally could feel Greg needed this. He had to figure out something, she wasn´t sure what, but she was sure it had to do with the fact he no longer went out for his weekly lunch. So she decided to answer his questions as truthfully as she could, if only to help him avoid making the same mistakes she had made, and that, in the long run, had affected her work performance.

 

“No, I did not fall in love. But there was some sense of possessiveness, we just expected the other to be available when we wanted. Then there was this feeling of being used, we would fight and yell at each other, claiming how the other made us feel like a disposable toy.”

 

“That sounds…complicated.”

 

“Understatement of the year. Sometimes I guess we could have gone on indefinitely if we had communicated clearly from the beginning, set some rules and pointed out what we expected of each other, what we were willing to do and not do.”

 

“Do you think Anderson´s wife knew about you?”

 

“I guess she suspected Anderson was getting it on with someone else, and that strained our relationship even more. He obviously didn´t want his wife to find out, so his demands of being _discrete_ became more and more forceful and I just kept getting angry believing he was ashamed of me, of what we did together. Until one day I just exploded and told him the best way of keeping our _relationship_ a secret would be not having a relationship at all.”

 

“And that is why you ended it?”

 

“Yes, it was meant to be fun, to be a stress reliever, and suddenly it just became the source of all my stress, so…”

 

“But you never expected more? You know, someone to come home to, to share your life with?”

 

“No, as I told you, I don´t want a relationship. I still live with my parents, they are great, when I need to share, as you said, I´ve got them, they are really caring and supportive.  I have my nieces and nephews when I feel my limited motherly instincts need an outlet, and I have friends with whom I can go out for some pints.”

 

After that, there was a brief silence, in which Greg seemed miles away, but since he hadn´t asked her to leave and considering he had just asked her some personal questions, Sally took a deep breath and said: “So boss, this person with whom you used to meet every week, are they married?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You didn´t know?”

 

“Guess I didn´t want to realize it. I knew it was too good to be true. And the funny thing is that nothing ever happened, not really, we went out, had a good time together, but we never so much as held hands.”

 

“So, how did you found out?”

 

“A relative of this person told me the truth.”

 

“Oh, wow, that just…it sucks.”

 

“Yes, and yes to what you are thinking but don´t dare to ask. His wife knows, and you know what the funny part is, she is ok with me _dating_ him.”

 

“What?”

 

“Apparently, they have an… open marriage.”

 

“And what are you going to do?”

 

“What do you mean what I am going to do? I stopped seeing him, what could I possibly get of any of this.”

 

“Well, you could be with someone you like, have some fun and some sexy times… Really boss, you aren´t getting any younger and with the life we lead because of work, you will never get the perfect relationship you expect, no white picket fence for us. So why give up something mildly perfect?”

 

“You just said, having a relationship with a married man is a shameful part of your, and now you are advising me to go on with whatever this mess I am in is?”

 

“What I had with Anderson has nothing to do with what you could have. As I told you, the fact that we needed to hide our _association_ was what brought on all the stress and bad things, but in your case the wife knows, no need to hide. And yes, chances are you could never say to your friends and family ‘hey this is the person I am seeing’, but really, do you need them to meet him? As far as I can tell you rarely see your family, and I am sure that even if they constantly bug you about being alone, by now they have come to accept, at least at some level, that you will always be Uncle Greg, the eternal bachelor. And your friends, well besides us in the team and John Watson I don´t think you have other friends, and our relationship is so, that we keep many things from each other, in an attempt to keep separated our privates lives from work. So yeah, I am telling you, go for it and enjoy the ride for as long as it last, hell, you can even fall in love. Just remember it won´t be forever. Nothing ever is.”

 

“Thank you Sally.”

 

“Any time boss. Now if you excuse me, I am starving.”

 

“Ok, could you bring me a sandwich when you come back from lunch?”

 

“Yes of course.”

 

Should he follow Sally´s advice? Should he _go for it_? If he was honest with himself, those few months with Mycroft in this life had been great, even if the only thing they did was hanging out, like two friends, two friends who flirted with each other, but two friends nonetheless. Fuck he was such a mess!!!!!!!!!!! He needed to stop thinking about this, maybe the universe will send him an answer if he just stopped thinking about Mycroft. So he decided to call John, yes meeting with John will make him think of Mycroft even more, but at least he will be able to openly rant about everything, after all they say you have to talk about your problems in order to get over them, didn´t they? He would be fine…He had to be. Yes he will call John, and before he could convince him otherwise, he picked up the phone and dialled his friend´s number.

 

“Hi John.”

 

“Hey Greg, how is everything going.”

 

“I have been better…Do you want to go for some pints on Friday?”

 

“Yes sure, see you in our usual place, say around 8?”

 

“Yes, that sounds great. See you then. Bye”

 

“Bye”

 

\-----------------------

 

Friday, finally, Greg really needed those pints, yes pints in plural. And wasn´t it great he had the weekend off? That meant he could get as pissed as he wanted and then sleep it off without worrying about work.

 

By the time John got to the pub there were already four empty bottles of beer before Greg, and the bartender was handing him two more, so he hurried and grabbed the bottles before Greg could do it.

 

“Hi mate, how thoughtful of you to ask for my beers…”

 

“John, you can keep one, give me the other one.”

 

“No, I do not think so. You obviously need to have a heart to heart, and I refuse to do it if you are drunk and I am sober.”

 

“You are an ass. Tell me is it a requisite to be this _sensitive_ to marry a Holmes?”, asked Greg while pointing in Johns general direction.

 

“No that I am aware of.”, laughed John. “Seriously, what has gotten into you, thought you were not going to dwell on the Holmes anymore.”

 

“I met Itzel.”, deadpanned Greg

 

“Yes, Sherlock mentioned something about that…”

 

“She is gorgeous…she has this exotic beauty…nice skin, long shapely legs even if she is petite, long hair, big eyes, sweet voice…”

 

“Mmmh, yes Itzel is an attractive omega, what is your point?”, asked John, looking nervously over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening in to their conversation. Really, you could not blame him, he had seen first-hand the way Mycroft reacted when someone as much as looked at Itzel the wrong way, and he knew his brother in law had eyes and ears everywhere.

 

“What is my point? Why the hell would Mycroft would be interested in someone like me?”

 

“Really Greg? What the fuck do I know about Mycroft and his likes and dislikes?”

 

“He is your brother in law”

 

“He might as well be my brother, even then I still would not know what the fuck goes through his head.”

 

“You told me he cares for his wife.”

 

“Well yes, for the things I have seen. But I have never really see the both of you together, so I do not know what to tell you, except that Mycroft does not spend time with _people_.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“Well, he does not have friends. He has colleagues and business partners that is it. He spends his free time alone in that club of his The Diogenes, you know the one with the “No talking” rule. He only socializes with Itzel and Sherlock.”

 

“So, I was an exception?”

 

“Yes, the fact that he seeks you out is really surprising. He must really like you, he does not tolerate human beings generally.”

 

“You make him sound like a total snobbish prick.”

 

“Well he is.”

 

“Hey, no need to insult him.”

 

“You were the one who started with the name calling.”

 

“I just said…what did I say?”

 

“Nothing Greg, you said nothing.”, answered John shaking his head, man, what was it about Mycroft that people found so attractive?

 

“I am thinking about calling Mycroft, inviting him out to dinner and talk about _us…_ ”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“No I am not, that is why I called you.”

 

“What do you want me to tell you Greg?”

 

“Tell me it is a bad idea, tell me it is wrong. Tell me that even if Itzel gave me _permission_ to _date_ her husband, that doesn´t mean I have to do it.”

 

“Greg, you do not have to do something you do not want to do.”

 

“But I want to John, Mycroft is amazing and so damn sexy.”

 

“Ok, please refrain from talking about my brother in law´s _sexiness_ , I do not think I can stomach it.”

 

“I need another beer.”

 

“So do I, if we are going to keep talking about this. I am going to get us other round but first give me your car keys.”

 

“Why?”

 

“You and I are getting drunk as shit, and then each one of us is getting a cab home, I won´t risk you driving like this.”

 

“Fine, here they are. Just make it a scotch instead of a beer.”

 

“As you wish”, John signalled the bartender and once he placed the drinks in front of them, they proceeded to gulp them down in one go.

 

“Just keep them coming”, Greg said, and even if the bartender did not think it was wise to keep serving them alcohol. He was not one to stop them; they did not seem like the kind who became aggressive when drunk, and if they got to out of hand, he would make sure the bouncer placed their asses on the sidewalk.

 

“So if you call Mycroft, what will you tell him?”

 

“That I like him, that I am willing to keep going out with him, see where all this leads us.”

 

“Ok…”

 

“Will you still be my friend?”

 

“What?”

 

“Well you are a decent normal bloke, with a normal marriage. You are close to the people involved in this mess…”

 

“Greg, I told you, I try to not judge. You are all grownups, if you want to have this kind of relationship, honestly it is not my business. Do I think it is right, do I think it is healthy? No I do not think so, I am sure you will end up hurt, the three of you. But who you are dating or fucking has nothing to do with our friendship, it doesn´t change who you are to me.”

 

“I am sorry.”

 

“Greg, no. No need for that, especially not with me. I…just be careful ok, whatever you decide. And don´t feel guilty, if you are going into this; just enjoy it without regrets, remorse or second thoughts.”

 

“So, your advice is, enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts?”

 

“If you want the ride, that is.”

 

“I do want it. I am sick of being alone, and Sally is right, I am not getting younger and due to my job, meeting someone and having a relationship is difficult…”

 

“Sally, really? Jesus Greg, she is the last person you should be taking advice from.”

 

“She isn´t that bad, besides she knows what she is talking about.”

 

“I guess…”

 

“Besides, she didn´t say anything I hadn´t thought myself.”

 

“Well, whatever you decide I am still your friend.”

 

“Thanks John”, Greg turned on his seat, and tried to give a one-arm hug to John, but he was already too drunk, so he almost toppled over.

 

Seeing that, the bartender approached both alphas and asked them if they wanted him to call a cab.

 

John, realized they could get into trouble if they insisted on staying, so he decided to accept the offer, making sure to tell the bartender they would be needing two cabs and not just one.

 

With a little help from one of the waiters, Greg and John made it out of the bar nearly without incident. It was so funny to see Greg slapped by an omega with whom he bumped into on their way out…Greg had placed his hand on his check and said seriously “Mam I deserved it, for what I am going to do to one of your kind, but not for bumping into you, that was an accident”, hearing that, John had tried to pull Greg before anything else happened, but he was also quite drunk, so he ended up pulling at thin air, he would have fallen on his ass if it weren´t for another patron, who held his arm to steady him.

 

Once outside, instead of the two cabs John expected to see, he saw two black sedans…


	21. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg and Mycroft talk...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week update!!! I must warn you, time is catching up on me, and after next week the updates may take longer...hopefully I will get a little time to write next chapters, I know where this story is going, just need time to sit down and write it -sighs-
> 
> As always, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, to all of you who leave comments and/or kudos, it is awesome, and inspires the writer in me to see this story to the end.
> 
> A very special THANK YOU to Krefftii, you are an awesome friend and because of your support this story is here now, guess I would have chickened out and not post it if you had not told me it was good. Big Hug for you.
> 
> Another very special THANK YOU to AnJoan Grey and her OCD edit ;-) and for also thinking that this is a good story. Never thought I would become friends with the Reman Emperor lol I have learnt a lot form our friendship and for that, I thank you. Big Hug for you.

**Chapter 20**

 

“Dr. Watson, Gregory, good evening.” – Mycroft greeted them in his usual aristocratic manner.

“Did you call him?” – Gregory asked John.

“Of course not, do you think I am crazy, or what?! – John answered, befuddled.

“No one called me, Gregory, I just happened to be nearby and I noticed that you and Dr. Watson will be needing a ride home”

“Yeah right, you were nearby, Mycroft. How about you now regal us with a fairy-tale about the big bad wolf and his CCTV cameras?” – John huffed.

“Dr. Watson, I am afraid I do not understand what you are talking about.”

“Sure you don´t… anyway, thanks for the ride. See you, Greg, send me a text when you arrive home.”

“You too, that car looks kind of suspicious…”

“Oh, Greg, you have no idea, but I am sure my dear brother-in-law won´t risk my mate’s ire.”

“You are quite right, Dr. Watson. Give my regards to Sherlock.”

“Sure, Mycroft. See you, Greg” – and without more preamble John let himself drop into the car. Sherlock would be so mad when he got home; oh well, every alpha needed a drunk night out with a friend… He just hoped Sherlock would not torment him, playing his violin while he got over the hangover he will surely be sporting tomorrow…

Greg and Mycroft watched the car that transported John until it turned a corner and moved out of sight. Greg was leaning on the pub´s wall, he was sure that if he tried to move he would end face first on the sidewalk. Why had Mycroft chosen this night to approach him?

“As I said Greg, I noticed you would need a ride home, I could not risk Dr. Watson or you going home alone; in your state, a cab driver could try to take advantage of you.”

“Well, Mr. Holmes, thank you for your concern. Could you please direct me to my awaiting chariot?”

Greg really hated the way the Holmes brother could _deduce_ what he was thinking, and yes he was acting like a drunk brat, and he did not care, he was mad at Mycroft for showing up in his life, for lying to him, for being so damn hot…

“Come Gregory, let me help you.” – Mycroft said, taking Gregory´s arm and leading him to the car; once he was sure Gregory was sitting securely, without any risk of falling from the car seat, Mycroft got into the car through the other door.

“You’re coming with me?”

“Of course Gregory; in your state, I do not think you would be able to climb the 3 floors to your apartment by yourself.”

“How do you know where I live? While we were going out, I never gave you my address.”

“Really Gregory, do I have to answer that? Are you really that drunk?”

“Yeah, you’re right, Mr. _Minor Position in the Government._ ”

They made the car ride in silence, until a few blocks from Greg´s apartment he mumbled: “I feel so dizzy…”

“Do you want the car to stop.” – Mycroft asked a little nervously.

“Oh, don´t look so scared, I am not going to throw up in your fancy car. I can hold it till we get home.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I am, not the first time this happened, and I have never ruined a car, well at least not yet.”

“Gregory, seriously, we can make a stop if you need it.”

“Don´t look so scared Myc, look, we are here already.”

“Yes, yes you are right…”

As soon as the car stopped, the chauffeur got down and helped Greg get to the trash cans outside his apartment, where the alpha proceeded to get out of his system at least half of the alcohol he had drank, as well as his lunch and breakfast.  Mycroft owed his chauffeur a big bonus this month…

While this happened, Mycroft stayed inside the car, and called Itzel.

“Hi Mycroft, everything ok? Anthea told me you would be arriving late.”

“I am afraid I won´t be getting home today my dear.”

“Oh, ok, I will be going to bed now. Will you be home for breakfast?” – Itzel asked, after all she was used to Mycroft sometimes not spending the night at home due to his work.

“Itzel I am with Gregory now. He is… indisposed, and I cannot, in good conscience, leave him alone. I will spend the night at his apartment and stay till I am sure he will be all right.”

“I see. Do you want me to arrange for Anthea to bring you a clean set of clothes?” – Itzel said, trying to sound as normal as possible, even if Mycroft’s comment had taken her by surprise, leaving her breathless, even if she knew this would happen.

“No need, my darling, Anthea already knows what to do.”

“Ok, well just try to rest a little and please eat something. Give my regards to Gregory, and tell him I hope he feels better… or don´t, I mean, I don´t know what the etiquette is for this.” – she mumbled nervously.

“Don´t worry my darling, I appreciate the sentiment. See you tomorrow for lunch.”

He won´t make it for lunch, she thought.

“Ok. Call me if there is a change of plans.”

“Itzel, I do not think that will be necessary.”

“You can´t be sure, Greg and you have a lot to talk about.” – she added seriously.

“Well, I am not sure Gregory is willing to talk with me.” – Mycroft answered matter-of-factly.

“If he is letting you spend the night in his apartment, he certainly is willing to talk to you.”

“Well, I do not think he is aware that I will be staying.”

“Oh, you Holmes and your lack of sense of personal boundaries. Anyway, I am sure tomorrow morning, when he sees you there, he would want to talk, he doesn´t seem the kind of man who likes to leave things unresolved.”

“If you say so my dear wife. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow dear husband.” – she answered sadly, but Mycroft had already hung up and did not hear her.

 

*

 

Once they hung up, Itzel didn´t know what to think or feel. She felt like she was underwater; she felt weightless and so heavy at the same time, and she couldn´t breathe.

“Mrs. Holmes, Mrs. Holmes… are you feeling ok?”

“Yes, why do you ask, Marianne?” – Itzel answered to her maid, while picking up her phone, which she had dropped without noticing.

“Well, you got a little bit pale and shaky and you dropped your phone.”

“What? No, no. I am fine. Could you please bring me a cup of tea, Marianne?”

Once she was alone, Itzel stared at her phone; she could not believe the conversation she had just had with Mycroft; did she really just encourage her husband to pursue Gregory?

“Here is your tea Mrs. Holmes. I also brought you toast and marmalade.”

“Thank you Marianne. Just leave it on the table, I will bring the tray down tomorrow morning.”

“Yes Mrs. Holmes… Mrs. Holmes, is there anything I can do for you? Is everything all right? Did… did you get some bad news?”

“Thank you Marianne, I will be fine. Yes, I received some bad news… really, I don´t know what came over me. I knew what was going to happen… Guess a part of me wished for a different outcome. Hey, now that I am thinking about it, why are you still here, shouldn´t you have left a couple of hours ago?”

“Anthea called, she asked Cook and myself to stay the night, since it wasn´t sure that Mr. Holmes will be returning home today. She said Mr. Holmes did not want you to be alone, in case you needed something. It is amazing how Mr. Holmes and Anthea seem to be able to see the future.”

“Yes, they do seem to foresee the future don´t they? If only I had that ability, too…”

“Mrs. Holmes?”

“Sorry Marianne I am tired, I am just speaking nonsense. You can go now; I don´t think I would be needing anything else.”

“Ok Mrs. Holmes, but remember that if you need something you just have to call us, no matter the time.”

“Yes, thank you. Good night Marianne”

“Good night Mrs. Holmes”

Once Itzel was sure Marianne had descended the stairs, she let herself begin to cry…

I am so pathetic, she thought… I just acted like a cliché, almost fainting because of my alpha is going to take a lover… I knew it would happen, but it hurt so much to have it confirmed… I feel like my heart is being crushed…

I have to keep it together, I have tonight to cry and shout and grieve, tomorrow I must act like nothing happened, like I don´t care…

She didn´t sleep that night, she just cried till there were no more tears, hugging Mycroft´s pillow. Once the first rays of sun showed through the curtains, she got up, washed her face, took a bath and went about her day as usual, without anyone of the household noticing something different in Mrs. Holmes; after all a broken heart was easy to hide…

 

*

 

“DI Lestrade is better now, sir.”

“Thank you Edward, I will help him get to his apartment. You can go now.”

“Yes Mr. Holmes, good night.”, Edward, the chauffeur knew better than to ask if he should wait or at what hour he should be picking up Mr. Holmes; when he was ordered to leave, he left, probably tomorrow Anthea will inform him when to pick Mr. Holmes.

“Good night Edward.”

Once the car had left, Mycroft took a very drunk and half asleep Gregory to his apartment. He practically had to carry the older alpha the three floor, but thankfully they made it to their destination unscratched. Mycroft made Gregory lean against the wall while he opened the door and when they were finally inside he noticed Anthea had already been there, since his briefcase as well as a small travel bag were resting on Gregory´s sofa. 

He took Gregory to his bed, taking off his jacket and shoes, he thought of taking off his trousers, but he thought about Itzel´s comment on personal boundaries, and concluded that the best course of action would be to just take off Gregory´s belt. When the DI was as comfortable as Mycroft could get him, he retired to the living room, he worked for a while on the files that were in his briefcase, but his focus was not on them, so he decided to take a short nap on the sofa.

A loud crash woke Mycroft up; fearing Greg could be hurt, he went quickly to the bathroom, where he found Greg bent over the toilet, and beside him, a shattered glass. While Greg poured out his intestines, Mycroft went about picking up the broken pieces, in order to avoid an accident, and he left to the kitchen to get another glass.

When he returned to the bathroom Greg had stopped throwing up, so he filled the glass with water and handed it to Greg, who used it to rinse his mouth.

“Thank you”, Greg said, handing the glass back to Mycroft and grabbing the wet flannel the younger alpha offered him, using it to clean his face and neck.

“Here, drink this, you need to rehydrate”, Mycroft added, handing Greg a sport´s drink.

“Where the hell did you get this? I know it was not in my refrigerator this morning.”

“I knew you would be feeling… under the weather, after your outing with Dr. Watson, so I made sure your refrigerator, as well as your pantry were stocked accordingly.”

“Well, in a disturbing kind of way, it has its perks to date a man like you.”

“Are we dating Gregory?”

“Argh… I can´t do this now Mycroft, I need to sleep and take a bath and eat before I even consider the idea of talking to you, so please, just…”, said Greg, making shooing motions with his hand.

“Come, I will help you to your bed, you are right, it would not be conducive to have this conversation at the present moment.”

“Could you please use shorter words? Really you are something else…”

“Just rest now, Gregory”, Mycroft said, dropping him on the bed and placing the blankets over him. Mycroft knew he shouldn’t do it, but seeing Gregory with his guard down, and knowing the DI was lost to the world, he leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

“Goodnight Gregory” – he whispered and left the room quietly.

 

*

 

His head was killing him. Ah! Wasn´t it convenient there was a pair of pills and a glass of water on his bedside table? Really, he could keep his wits about even when he was drunk? No, wait, he couldn´t have possibly placed those pills there, he was sure he had run out of them a few days ago and he hadn´t had time to buy some more…and then it hit him: Mycroft…

Greg got up hurriedly, as scared as he was hopeful, that Mycroft was still in the apartment.

“Good morning Gregory, I am preparing coffee and a light breakfast; perhaps you would like to take a bath while I finish.”

“You cook…”

“Occasionally yes, I can cook some basic things”

“You Holmes”, sighed Gregory, “I am of a mind to kick you out of my apartment, but we need to talk and really, why waste the opportunity now.”

“I am glad we are in agreement Gregory dear.”

“Don´t you _dear_ me Mycroft, just don´t. I will take a quick bath now. I would tell you to make yourself at home, but it is a little bit late for that…”

“Ah, yes, I have been informed before that I tend to overlook personal boundaries…”

“Glad to hear you know you aren´t perfect.”

“I don´t see that as a flaw, it helps me ensure that things run along more quickly and smoothly, people can be quite indecisive.”

“Yes, of course, I´ll just take a bath now”, Greg said, rubbing his face with both hands, begging whatever superior power that was listening to give him patience, or he would end up the day strangling one posh alpha…

 

*

 

“Feeling better?” – Mycroft asked, handing a cup of coffee to Gregory when he came into the kitchen after his bath.

“Yes, at least now I feel half human, I bet this coffee will do the trick of restoring me to the human race.”

Once Greg had had his first cup of coffee, they moved to the living room to have breakfast. They ate in silence, it was like they had come to an unspoken agreement to eat in peace, there would be time to talk later.

When they finished, Greg got up and started taking the dishes to the kitchen with Mycroft´s help.

“I will do the dishes. It is the least I can do, after all you… you cooked”, said Greg. He had been about to say _you took care of me,_ but shied away from the intimacy of that statement.

“As you wish. I will step outside for a few minutes, there are some calls I must make.”

“Yes, of course. Take as long as you need.”

Mycroft let himself out of Gregory´s apartment, dialling first to Anthea in order to give her instructions to reschedule all his appointments for the day, and then he called Itzel. His omega answered at the third ring tone.

“Hello.”

“Good morning, dear wife. I hope you had a good night.”

I was in hell, but you don´t need to know that, Itzel thought, closing her eyes tightly to hold in the tears that threatened to spill, it would not do to start crying now…

“Yes, thank you; how are you? Is Greg feeling better today? I received a text from Sherlock inviting me to his home today, apparently John has a terrible hangover after going out with Greg last night, and Sherlock needs my help to drive him crazy. Greg is lucky you are nothing like Sherlock.”

“Greg is much better now. I was just calling to let you know I won´t be able to make it home for lunch. I will see you tonight.”

“Told you.”

“Yes, my dear wife, you did point out Gregory would be willing to talk once he woke up.”

“Well, I hope everything goes all right, please try not to lose your temper, DI Lestrade is a proud man, but he is obviously interested in you.”

“You are one of a kind. Did you know that, dear wife? Here you are, giving me relationship advice to appease my lover-to-be.”

“Well, what can I say, you are a lucky man Mr. Holmes… No, seriously, I just want you to be happy.”

“Thank you darling. See you tonight.”

“See you.”

 

*

 

“Hey, everything all right? The free world won´t collapse because you are here with me, instead of pulling strings?”

“Really, Gregory, where do you get those ideas from? I have told you I just hold a minor position in Government.”

“Yes Myc, keep saying that, perhaps I will believe you some day”, said Greg plopping on the sofa and indicating Mycroft to take a seat beside him. “So, you are not expected home?”

“Not until dinner.”, after a brief pause Mycroft said, “I know you met Itzel.”

“Yes. She is very beautiful and very young. That made me wonder why are you interested in me”

Mycroft was surprised by his lack of reaction to Greg´s comment about Itzel´s appearance, his instincts had flared for less than that, well, now was not the moment to analyse this, he had to focus on Greg.

“Itzel and I have a peculiar marriage. I met her when she was a child, and even if she was close to Sherlock, we never really became acquainted. When we got engaged we were little more than strangers and we spoke clearly of the reasons that had brought us together, as well as what we expected from each other. During the time we have been married, we have come to know each other, and at some point we started caring for each other, but the truth is that we are not a couple in the sense you understand it.”

How blind was Mycroft about his wife´s feelings… And now, that was Greg´s biggest reason to refuse Mycroft; if Itzel had denied loving Mycroft, it would have been easier for Greg to accept, but he knew he would be hurting her…

“She tried to explain your marriage to me, but to be honest, I do not understand it, you just said you care for each other, and it is kind of obvious you are intimate on a regular basis. So how do I come into the picture? I can understand those people who have lovers because there is a lack of sentiment or passion in their marriage, but that isn´t your case.”

“Itzel is my omega, she complements a part of my nature, she has given me a home, but I find that is not enough for me. I want someone I can consider an equal partner, someone who shares my interests. I know I sound like a bastard, especially considering that before she extended me her companionship, I was sure I did not need anyone, but alas, she has shown me the benefits of human contact, and now I find myself wanting more.”

Greg wanted to punch Mycroft, on Itzel´s behalf as well as for himself. So that was all they were for him? What will happen when Mycroft decided that Itzel and himself weren´t enough, when he wanted more? No, he had to calm down, he couldn’t reveal to Mycroft what Itzel had told him and he must keep in mind his conversation with Sally.

“I appreciate your honesty. If we do this, how will things work? I mean when we will see each other, what about sex, it is something you would expect each time we met, how…?”

“Gregory, please calm down. I thought we could go on as we were, just go out, spend time together, see where things lead.”

“You know I was building up the nerve to kiss you, I mean before all this happened.”

“I know, I noticed. I wanted to kiss you too, but I knew it would not be right since I had not mentioned Itzel to you, nor had I talked to her about the possible change in the type of relationship I had with you.”

“Wait, she knew about us meeting? I mean before… this mess?”

“From the day I met you. Of course, I told her we were _friends_. I should have known she would notice the moment my interest in you increased. Gregory, I think we are just avoiding the topic, my relationship with Itzel, what she knows or does not know about the possible relationship between you and me; that is irrelevant, at least for now. What you know now, is enough, yes I have a wife, an omega, yes she knows I am close to you, and no, she does not have a problem with that.”

“Right, right”, said Greg shaking his head, he had to remember where he stood in this little agreement of them. Anyway, if he was going to hell, he would at least be having fun now, so without a second thought, he leaned into Mycroft and kissed him forcefully, they were both alphas, there was no place for tenderness between them.


	22. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the triangle is formed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writting this story makes me really happy, and it is even better knowing that there are people out there reading it, and enjoying it. So thank you to all of you and if you are reading and not enjoing, thank you too for taking the time.
> 
> I want to say a BIG thank you to two very dear friends of mine, each one of you mean a lot to me and I admire both of you as writters, so whenever you help me with this sotry I feel honoured: Krefftii and AnJoan Grey, love the both of you very much.
> 
> I made a visual of this story and it is for you Girl4Spring, to lessen the frustration (lol), and to thank you for all your wonderful comments ;-)

**Chapter 21**

 

Greg kissed Mycroft like there was no tomorrow; he was demanding, but he also allowed the other alpha feel his anger. After a few minutes, completely out of breath, Greg let go of Mycroft’s lips and, leaning his forehead on Mycroft´s, he said:

“I am so angry with you”.

“I know”, Mycroft answered, kissing back as forcefully as Greg and pulling the other alpha over him, so that he was sitting astride his legs.

They tore at each other’s clothes; Greg allowed Mycroft perceive the need that had been accumulating inside of him for the last few months, as well as the anger and disappointment he had felt upon finding out that Mycroft was married; Mycroft let himself be consumed by the desire he felt for Gregory, but also by a slight sense of regret and guilt – no, he will not think about Itzel now; besides, she knew what was going on and she did not mind…

They were soon naked, Greg still sitting astride Mycroft, touching, scratching and biting every part of the other alpha he could reach, while Mycroft concentrated on kissing Gregory and trailing his hands along his hair, as he had wanted to do for so many months.

 

At some point Mycroft tried to bite Gregory`s neck, but the alpha reacted aggressively bearing his teeth to Mycroft:

“No marks, I AM NOT YOURS”.

As his only response, Mycroft moved their positions in a swift movement placing Gregory on the couch, while he sat above him and then taking both of their cocks between his hands, began pumping furiously. They were both so close… Gregory may not allow any marks of him but he needed to lay some kind of claim on the D.I.; in this position he could make sure that his ejaculate would fall on Gregory, and even after a bath, Mycroft`s scent would still linger on him.

“You are a possessive bastard” – Gregory groaned, but he was too close to his orgasm to stop what Mycroft wanted to do.

After a few more pumps, both alphas were coming hard.

Moments later, and completely breathless, Greg pushed Mycroft away and said “I needed to get that out of my system.” – then he proceeded to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Before closing the door, he threw a wet flannel to Mycroft; he was still angry at the possessive alpha, but he certainly did not want him sit naked on his couch, and after the angry sex they had just had, Greg felt more in control.

Greg was tempted to take a long shower, but he just concluded that the longer he took, the longer Mycroft will be in his apartment, and even if he had already made up his mind, he still needed to be alone.

Once he finished bathing, Greg went to his room and put on a t-shirt and sweat pants; when he returned to the living-room, Mycroft was already dressed in his typical three-piece suit, and even his hair was combed; really, this man was incredible.

“Ok, I needed to get that out of my system, now let’s talk about how this will work…”

“As I said, Gregory…”, Mycroft interrupted him.

“No, no, Mycroft you will listen to me, I was not asking how you want things to work. Is that clear?”

At Mycroft´s nod, Greg went on in a firm tone, looking into Mycroft´s eyes, to show him how serious he was about this.

“We will keep going as we were, we will meet each Wednesday and when I feel ready, I will invite you to my apartment, which will obviously mean I am ready to take this relationship to the next level. By that, I do not mean there will be no physical contact between us until then, we can obviously kiss and do… other things, just not full blown-out sex; at least not immediately. When we do have sex, I will not expect you to spend the night here, I know you have to go back to your wi… to your home.”

At this point, Greg made a brief pause to make sure Mycroft was still willing to listen; noticing the other´s alpha concentration hadn´t wavered in the least, he continued:

“When we are together, we won´t talk about anyone in your family – and I mean anyone. If something comes up and either of us can’t make it to one of our appointments, we will let the other know with enough time, and we won´t give or ask for explanations. I do not want presents or favours from you, I am seeing you because I like you and am attracted to you, and that is that. I will be discreet and respect you, and I expect the same from you; that means no more lies, not even by omission. And finally, when either of us wants to end this, we will end it no hard feelings, no regrets. So, do you agree?” – Greg asked, keeping his head held high, in an attempt to show Mycroft that he was doing this because he wanted to, on his terms.

“Certainly Gregory, I think your terms are logical and fair”, Mycroft answered in a calm voice, which did not betray his surprise and joy at hearing Greg accepting to pursue a closer relationship with him.

“That is me, Mr. Logical and fair…” – fuck it all, Greg was anything but that, this was a big mistake and there was a big risk of getting hurt as well as hurting others, but he wanted this, he wanted Mycroft and for once in his life instead of doing the right thing, he was decided to do what he wanted. Doing the right thing had left him alone and sad, maybe doing what he wanted would at least leave him with some good memories.

“I will be taking my leave now, I will call you on Monday.” –Mycroft said – “If you change your mind by then, I will understand”.

“Yes, thank you. I will be waiting for your call. See you, Mycroft.”

“See you, Gregory”

 

*

 

Greg did not get up to accompany Mycroft to the door as he left, he was too drained to do anything, and even if he had decided to _date_ Mycroft, right now he did not want to be near the other alpha.

 _Never say never_ , her mother was always repeating that when they were teenagers, whether they were talking about food, clothes or boyfriends / girlfriends; if any of them said _I would never do that_ she would end the argument with that phrase.

Boy, and hadn´t she been right. His omega brother, who swore he would not become a baby-making machine, already had 3 children and another one on the way. His alpha sister who said she would never bond with an omega, had ended up doing just that when she was only 20… fortunately, both were happy with the outcome of their lives.

As for him, he rarely said “ _I will never”_ , since he had a very clear idea of what he wanted from his life. If someone ever asked him “will you do this or that”, he would simply say “I plan to…”, and for that, his Mother had a saying too: _If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans…_

Yes, life’s turns were unpredictable. He should not be so disappointed; he did achieve his plan of becoming a D.I., after all.  But back then, when he was a teenager, he just did not realize how difficult it was to balance his profession with his personal life, there had been no time to give his whole attention to both of them.

Besides, he had always ended up choosing persons that had nothing in common with him, and were more interested in changing him, rather than accepting him.

Mycroft… he understood the long hours at work, the gloomy silent moods. He did not shy away when Greg had the need to talk about some gruesome case, because he understood the D.I. had to talk about it with someone, or he would just go crazy. And wasn´t it awesome that Mycroft did not expect domesticity with Greg? That he will never complain about Greg been a slob since they will not be living together? That money issues or talk of kids will never come between them? Yes, it was the best of both worlds… He just had to be careful and not fall in love…

 

*

 

Normally, Itzel would not visit Sherlock and John on a Saturday, since they spent the weekends together alone, as a couple, well except if there was a case and D.I. Lestrade called… which would not be happening now.

As usual, she rang the bell but no one answered, luckily she had her own key, thanks to John, so she just opened the door and climbed the stairs to Sherlock´s and John´s apartment.

She could hear Sherlock playing a loud upbeat piece on his violin; poor John, he must have a splitting headache and if she knew Sherlock as well as she thought she did, the crazy genius would have already thrown away every aspirin, paracetamol or any other kind of pain pills there were.

When she reached the door, it was already open, so she let herself in and after greeting Sherlock who was playing by the window and John, who was sprawled on the couch, she took off her coat and went to the kitchen to prepare tea and toast, since she was sure they had not eaten anything.

Once everything was ready, she arranged it on a tray and took it to the living room setting it on the coffee table. She took out of her jeans pocket a couple of pills and gave them to John who mouthed a “thank you” and swallowed them without a second thought.

Sherlock ignored the tea and kept playing his violin as noisily and as loudly as he could.

She sat on the couch besides John, placing her legs on it, so she could place her chin on her knees.

“Are you ok?” –John asked, reaching out to hold one of Itzel´s hands.

“Yes, why shouldn´t I be?”, Itzel answered, smiling to John and holding his hand tightly.

“Mycroft is with Greg, isn´t he?” – John insisted.

“Yes” – Itzel whispered, feeling like something cold went from her throat to her chest. “Our marriage isn´t like yours John”.

“You love your husband” – John stated.

Hearing that, Sherlock stopped playing abruptly making a horrible screech that made John wince and take his hands to his temples.

“I did not tell him” – Sherlock declared, referring to what John had just said.

“I know you didn´t, I guess I am just too obvious” – Itzel answered, rolling her eyes at Sherlock; things had been a little tense between them since all this began, but she knew Sherlock would never betray her trust, not even to John.

“No, you are not too obvious” –John intervened – “Don´t worry, it is just that I have come to know you really well, I guess that is why I noticed”.

“I am glad to hear that. Sometimes I think I should just tell Mycroft how I feel, but I am afraid of how he will react. He will probably push me away, and I am sure I could not stand that. Now he cares for me, at least I have a little bit of his heart.”

Sherlock couldn´t help but snort at Itzel´s words.

“Your brother does have a heart, Sherlock, he just chooses to forgo using it too much.”

“Well, at least you understand that”, Sherlock added without malice.

“Yes I do… I will be all right. I was blindsided by the way things were at home. I thought Mycroft was satisfied, I forgot he is a complex human being.”

“Are you satisfied?”

“Sherlock… No, of course not, but isn´t it human nature to always want more? I am content with what I have, it is better than what I thought my marriage would be. My Grandfather introduced me to some of his associates, and believe me, Mycroft is by far better than any of them. Let’s just talk about something else. Please. Believe me, I will be ok, I am quite adaptable.”

Sherlock started to talk about one of his experiments; Itzel did not understand much, but it helped distract her from gloomy thoughts.

Meanwhile, John kept holding Itzel´s hand as he watched the two omegas interact as they usually did when one of them needed to be comforted.

Adaptable, my ass, John thought. Itzel did not adapt, she just locked inside herself all the things she did not want to deal with. She was the queen of denial. No wonder Sherlock and her were so close; they were like two peas in a pod on that aspect. Anyway, it wasn´t his place to say anything, he will just stay as he is, a friend to Greg and to Itzel.

 

*

 

Once out of Gregory´s apartment, Mycroft was glad to see a car waiting for him, Anthea was really the best PA anyone could ask for.

After the chauffeur opened the door for him, he realized that Anthea herself was there.

“Hello my dear, I trust there were no emergencies that needed my attention.”

“None, sir, fortunately. I sent the emails that held some relevance to your laptop and since you had no appointments today, your agenda for the rest of the week has not been altered. There is a clean set of clothes for you on the trunk and I took the liberty of telling the chauffeur to make a stop at _The Diogenes_ in case you wanted to shower. Your wife is at your brother´s apartment.” – Anthea hoped her voice and demeanour had not betrayed what she felt.

She knew these things happened and she knew she was in no position to judge, but Mycroft and Itzel were right for each other, why couldn´t her boss see that; why was he risking damaging what he had for a flight of fancy. It seemed that underneath the Iceman there was a hot-blooded alpha, after all, and she did not mean that in a good way.

Mycroft detected a colder tone in Anthea´s way of addressing, him. Obviously, his PA found it difficult to understand what he was doing, but since she had been nothing but efficient and professional, as always, he had no reason to rebuke her; besides, in her own way, she was showing her support for Itzel, and he appreciated that. Looking for another P.A. would be tiresome, and no one would fit in Anthea´s shoes, not to mention whoever took her place would also judge his situation; it was human nature, after all, to criticize the way other persons lead their life. No, no need for a change, especially considering Anthea will not let this affect her usual standards at work.

“Yes my dear, I would like to stop at _The Diogenes_ first; while I am there, call for another car to take you to your home.”

“Thank you, sir.”

 

*

 

“Sherlock!!!!!!! I swear I am going to kill you” – Itzel yelled.

Hearing that, Mycroft took the stairs two at a time to reach his brother´s apartment, and once he was there, noticing the door was opened he let himself in.

The first thing he noticed was John holding Itzel by the waist…

“What is the meaning of this?” Mycroft said icily, looking at John like he wanted to crush him.

“Sherlock burnt my hair and now I am going to cut his. As soon as John lets me go”, a furious Itzel answered, without noticing her alpha was exhibiting quite the possessive and aggressive attitude.

Fortunately, her statement brought Mycroft to his senses, and he saw everything for what it was, Itzel had a pair of scissors in her hands and John was holding her in order to keep her away from Sherlock. “If you allow me, John, I will be taking my wife now.”

“Yes of course”, John answered, letting Itzel go quickly; he did not want to receive a punch from Mycroft… really his brother-in-law had so many issues… The way he suppressed his feelings for Itzel only resulted in him being more possessive than normal…

As soon as Itzel was free, she tried to reach Sherlock, but Mycroft grabbed her, took the scissors from her, placed her over his shoulder and carried her down the stairs.

“Really Mycroft put me down, this is too cave mannish of you!!!”

“I will put you down as soon as we are in the car”

“My coat is still up there.”

“I will send for it later.”

“NOOO, let me down, Sherlock will not get away with this.”

“Calm down now” – Mycroft ordered firmly, biting her bondmark.

“Yes, alpha”, Itzel answered calmly, due to her natural reaction to her alpha, but still furious at what happened. “It is not fair you can control me so easily, damn pheromones.”

“No need to curse, Itzel. Now I will take you wherever you want to get a haircut, then we will eat at a place of your choice and then we will go home. Understood?”

“Yes.”

Mycroft was glad that the smell of burnt hair masked the other smells on Itzel, since he could still perceive a faint smell of John. He understood it had to do with the fact the other alpha had been holding her to keep her away from Sherlock. He felt a twinge of guilt by his reaction, he knew John and Itzel were nothing but friends, the older alpha was madly in love with his brother, and yes he was close to HIS omega, but it was just because he had become a sort of confident for her… Still, the idea of another alpha around her angered him, really his natural instincts could be so bothersome…

They spent the afternoon as Mycroft had said. They did not talk about what had transpired between Gregory and him. Itzel knew what had happened. She knew that expression on Mycroft’s face. They had reached an agreement… they had had sex.

 

*

 

“Are you feeling better now?” – Mycroft asked Itzel as soon as they arrived home, leading her to the library.

“Yes, I am sorry, I know I overreacted, it is just hair after all, it will grow back, and I really should know better than to trust Sherlock when he says his experiments aren´t dangerous.”

Mycroft just laughed and once they were in the library, he pointed to the couch near the fireplace.

No, no, Itzel thought, I do not want to talk about this, I already know what is going to happen I do not need to hear it from Mycroft`s lips…

“Itzel, I have come to an agreement with Gregory, and rest assured your routine will not be altered in the least; I will keep meeting with Gregory on Wednesdays and see how the relationship progresses. In case, that at some point, we need to make changes, I will obviously inform you, so we can arrange our schedules accordingly.”

How could he sit there and talk about this as if it were a business deal? How could he tell her nothing had changed? He now had a lover… What was worst, how could she sit here calmly and hear this, when she felt like dying.

“Of course Mycroft. I am glad the both of you could reach an agreement, and yes, I understand that maybe at some point you will need more time away from home, but well, we will make the proper arrangements when the time comes.”

Mycroft was satisfied by the fact that Itzel was so accepting of the situation; still a little voice inside him kept saying it was wrong, that if she really cared for him she should at least be trying to avoid this conversation…

“Itzel, if at some point this becomes too much for you, I trust you will let me know”.

“I… I know my place in your life Mycroft, and I will act accordingly, you do not have to worry. I must confess your interest on D.I. Lestrade was a little disconcerting since we have a satisfactory marriage, but I do understand we came to be out of necessity. The fact we are compatible in some aspects does not make us a perfect match.”

“Itzel, during this time together, I have come to care for you, as much as I am able to. I have tried to make sure you are happy.”

“I know, I care for you too, I guess that is why I am willing to accept this. Really Mycroft you do not have to explain this to me and for what is worth, I still like being married to you.”

“And I like being married to you.”

“Good, now I am going to bed, I am tired, are you coming?”

“No, there are a few files I have to go over, I will be up later.”

“Ok. Good night dear husband.”

“Good night dear wife.”

Lying in bed, alone, Itzel could not help but think there was something really wrong with her… Her mother would be rolling in her grave if she saw her now… But she just could not make herself care, she loved Mycroft and she wanted to stay by his side, no matter what.

She wasn´t sure how much time had passed since she went to bed, but it must have been hours, considering that she could hear her alpha’s steps down the hall. When Mycroft worked from home, he usually did not go to sleep until the early hours of the morning.

Mycroft entered their room quietly; Itzel was a heavy sleeper, but still, once he had been able to wake her up when he tripped and ended up slamming the bedroom door; that night, he had discovered his lovely wife became quite an angry, grumpy child if she was woken up abruptly.

He went through his nightly routine and when he climbed into bed he was surprised to notice that Itzel was awake. She seemed alert, so it was obvious he hadn´t been the one to wake her up.

“Are you feeling all right? It is late you are deeply asleep at this time normally.”

“Did I do something wrong? Will you send me away?” Itzel asked, quietly.

And here was the reaction Mycroft had been expecting, and for some reason far from making him uncomfortable, it made him feel proud… His inner alpha seemed to relish in the fact that his omega was not completely at ease with him taking a lover.

As the only answer, Mycroft pulled Itzel and sat her astride his legs, trying to disentangle her from her nightgown, then he took his face between his hands:

“Why do you keep using these granny nightgowns?”

“I like them, they are comfortable and warm.” – she answered confused.

“Mmmh… I find you quite enticing even when you insist on wearing them, and to prove it he nibbled her neck. I care for you Itzel, as much as I can, as much as I know how. I will not send you away, truth is I do not think I will be able to sleep alone anymore.”

“You have Greg now”, Itzel stated coldly.

“Greg and you are different. You are my omega, my wife… I thought you did not have a problem with this.” – Mycroft said, a tad exasperated, they had talked about this, why was she having doubts now, did she not trust him?

Noticing Mycroft´s change of mood, Itzel tried to make light of her comments.

“I am sorry. It is just that now that this is real I just started thinking… which is never a good thing. Please do not mind me, guess it is just my sleep deprived brain coming up with stupid ideas”

Mycroft knew there was something more, perhaps Itzel´s ego had suffered a little with him taking a lover; that must be all, it could not be something deeper, since there was no _Love_ between them, there was just affection and companionship. She could not possibly be jealous of Greg and she certainly was not hurt by this development, after all she always knew Mycroft could take a lover at some point. Still, it was obvious she needed some reassurance.

“I will not send you away, we are good together as a married couple, you are a good wife, but as my omega, along with the feelings of tenderness and affection, there is the constant need to protect you, I am always on alert. With Gregory it is something different, we are friends, I do not worry about him getting hurt… I am sorry, I cannot explain it adequately.”

“There is no need for that”, Itzel said placing her arms around her alpha´s neck, hating that for Mycroft she will always be the damsel in distress... After a while of hugging her alpha, she whispered:

“Just promise that if things change between us, if you stop caring for me, if you stop desiring me, you will let me know, you will not go making up stupid excuses to avoid spending time with me or for not sleeping with me.”

“No lies or sugar coating the truth between us dear wife. That was what we promised each other.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome dear wife”, whispered Mycroft tracing her neck with his nose. She did not smell of John anymore, she just smelt like her, like his omega, and pushing to the deepest darkest part of his mind-file that little voice that was calling him an insensitive, greedy, selfish alpha, he proceeded to take his wife, his omega, reasserting that she belonged to him and no other alpha could claim her.

 

*

 

On Monday, as he had promised, Mycroft called Greg; he was sure the D.I. had not changed his mind; still, Mycroft decided to act respectfully, considering he had withheld information from the older alpha. Yes, that was what he had done, he had not lied, he had just withheld information, and he will stick to that.

He waited on the line, and after three rings, Greg answered his phone.

“Hello Myc, how is everything going? It was nice to know that you can actually take a day off without the free world collapsing.” – Greg joked.

“Really Gregory dear, where did you get these ideas, I have told you my position is rather minor.”

“Yes, you keep saying that Myc. Anyway, I am glad you called; I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me on Wednesday? A friend of mine is going to open a restaurant soon, it isn´t the poshest place and the eating area is still being remodelled, but the kitchen is all set up, and, well, I would like to cook for you. What do you say?”, so there it was, no one could blame Gregory for being a coward, no but they can blame him of been a cheater, he thought. Ok, not going down that path, they were all adults here and they had established they all agreed on this.

“I will be delighted, Gregory, just send me the address and the time you expect me, and I will be there.”

“Great, I will send you a text with the details. Sorry I have to hang up now; you know, work.”

“Yes Gregory, I do understand, see you on Wednesday, have a nice day.”

“Same to you Myc, bye.”


	23. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And this how Mycroft, Itzel and Greg handle their relationships...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is this week's uptdate, not sure when I will be updating next...but I promise I will finish this story, hope you can be patient with me.

**Chapter 22**

 

Nothing lasts forever; nothing ever did, at least not for her. She should really be used to it by now... _Oh stop it, stop feeling sorry for yourself_ , Itzel told herself.

She was being selfish and she knew it. Her life had been a happy and tranquil one, with no real worries or suffering; her parents had been loving and caring. Even with their busy lives, they made sure she knew they would always be there for her.

And then, her mother had died… it had been the first real loss she had ever experienced and she had certainly not managed it well, she felt so alone, and angry, and guilty – that she had turned all her negative feelings to her father.

Then she got married, and once again, her life seemed perfect, until everything changed…

She knew she had lived a privileged life; she had been protected from all the harsh realities of the world. Nothing bad had ever happened to her, so she had a simplistic view of life; everything was easy for her, she judged people harshly and did not understand why they complicated their lives… She had been so wrong; it was easy to find a solution when you were not invested in a situation, but when you were a part of it, feelings just clouded your judgment and determined you to make terrible mistakes.

Mycroft was again with Gregory; he will be gone for the whole weekend. It was the second time this happened. Of course Mycroft had _consulted_ with her, asking if she was ok with it… like she could have said what she really thought and felt…

The first time they went away for the weekend, she had gone to visit Siger; it had been nice to spend time with her mother-in-law. He was a very intelligent and sensitive person, and Itzel could not help but regret the fact he had never showed his real self to his two sons. Still, now and then, Itzel caught Siger looking at her in a certain way… so this time around she decided to stay home.

She even had a valid reason, Mycroft and her would spend their anniversary abroad, so she had to pack; yes, she still had a month to do that, but she really liked to prepare things beforehand.

 

*

It was October already, the month of his wedding anniversary. A year ago, he would not have thought that someone else than Itzel could be close to him in a… _romantic way_ , for lack of a better way to describe it; but now he had Greg too.

A year ago, his wife had been involved in organizing a small party to celebrate their union, on Mummy´s insistence. It had been an amenable event; it had taken place at the Holmes’ estate and only their family was present; he had made sure that even Sherlock would have a good time, although – if asked, he would say he had deleted the whole celebration from his mind. Surprisingly enough, during the party, even his Father was less cold than usual, taking Mummy out for more than one dance and showing Itzel real politeness.

This year, the plans to celebrate his wedding anniversary were vastly different. They would spend their anniversary alone at an exclusive resort at the countryside that catered for alpha/omega parings, since the exact date of their anniversary was very close to Itzel´s heat, so they would make the most of it and turn the celebration into a small holiday.

Obviously, that meant he will be missing next week´s appointment with Gregory; of course, he had already informed the older alpha about this. As Gregory himself had established at the beginning of their relationship, there were no complaints, demands or questions. They had simply agreed to meet next week. Gregory was a passionate man, but that did not make him an irrational, hot-headed alpha. He was a very centred man, sure of himself. Maybe that was why their relationship had been going well, despite the special circumstances that surrounded them.

As for Itzel, once she had realized their holiday would mean Mycroft and Gregory will miss a date, she had not said anything. That was so much like her; his wife certainly knew when to avoid uncomfortable questions; she was the kind of omega an upper alpha would expect her to be; discrete, elegant and calm.

Mycroft wondered how he had become so lucky. For years, he believed he was condemned to a life of loneliness; of course, he would have gotten married, he needed an heir after all, and maybe he would have gotten engaged in short discrete affairs to chase boredom away; nonetheless, he would have been alone, except, perhaps, for his brief interactions with Sherlock.

But then, different circumstances placed Itzel as a viable option as a wife. At the time, he did not know much about her, but the fact that Sherlock actually cared for her and she for Sherlock – placed her above the rest of the omegas in his social circle; not to mention that not being a teenager, but an attractive young woman, was also a point in her favour. All in all, what he knew about her at that moment signalled that there was a high possibility that she wasn´t like the other omegas his Father had introduced to him. So he concluded that marrying her would not be total torture.

Time had proved he had been more than right; marrying Itzel had been far from torture; it was actually enjoyable, she was a pleasant companion and he could picture himself growing old with her, sharing a quiet and peaceful life.

And then, he had met Gregory, someone else brought to his life by Sherlock… ever since that first lunch, Mycroft had been able to relax around the other alpha and be himself. Gregory challenged him in a way nobody else did; he may not have the IQ of the Holmes, but he was brilliant in his own way and had a great sense of humour. They had similar tastes in music and films, and even if Greg had seen terrible things, his humanity was undeniable, he believed in high ideals like _justice_ and… _love_ , giving Mycroft a little bit of hope in mankind.

So now he could not picture his life without either of them…

 

*

 

He had been _dating_ Mycroft for 6 months now; it all began in May. His life had certainly become more complicated and confusing, but it was no longer the grey monotony it had been before.

He was… not _happy_ , that was not the word. He was – _satisfied_? Yes, that described more accurately how he felt. Mycroft was exceptional. He was intelligent and fun, in his own Holmesian way, and whenever they were together, they had a good time; of course, he had known that from before, but now he was able to hold his hand or hug him whenever he wanted, which just made everything better.

And of course the posh bastard was a great lover. They had not jumped into bed; first, Greg had needed to come to terms with the idea that he was not the only bed partner Mycroft had… He sometimes wondered how Itzel felt about that, did she even share a bed with Mycroft? He had no idea how their marriage worked on that aspect, he just knew what John had told him and what he had learned from Itzel the day they had talked.

Mycroft never talked about Itzel when they were together, and obviously, he had never been invited to the other alpha´s home, even if Mycroft had spent more than one night in Greg´s apartment.

They had even gone out a couple of weekends, taking short trips to a cottage Mycroft owned in the countryside; he had no idea how Mycroft explained that to Itzel – and how she was able to accept it… Once again, his thoughts had gone where they shouldn’t, what Itzel felt or did was not for him to worry about…  in all probability, the young omega did not make questions on the Wednesdays Mycroft and he did not meet, like this one.

Last month Mycroft had cancelled one of their meetings, saying he had an unavoidable appointment. He did not ask why, nor did he allow himself to be disappointed and he certainly did not feel a little bit hurt when, days later, he read a small add on the Newspaper, congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Holmes for their 3 year wedding anniversary.

He had stayed friends with John. It had been awkward for him the first times they had gone out for pints, after all of this started. But John had been his normal self – a good friend who listened and did not judge or make indiscreet enquiries, and every time Greg ended up asking questions about Itzel, John, always the voice of reason, would pretend he did not hear, and go on with their previous conversation.

Mycroft had respected Greg´s wishes and he had not gifted the D. I. with expensive presents, nor had he taken him to impossibly fancy places. Still, Mycroft was an old-fashioned gentleman, and often surprised Greg with small thoughtful details, like sending coffee when he was at a crime scene in the middle of the night, or making sure he never ran out of the chocolate digestives he preferred.

It would have been kind of creepy, knowing someone kept so close tabs on him and had access to his apartment, but somehow he found it… endearing. Mycroft had this need of looking after the people he cared about. Sherlock was an impeccable example of that, because even when the young omega was perfectly capable of looking after himself and had an alpha mate who would do anything for him, Mycroft still considered his Little Brother his responsibility, so he kept surveillance over him, even when that made Sherlock throw epic tantrums.

And wasn´t that a truly scary thought? – not Mycroft´s stalker tendencies, but the fact that Greg had just included himself in the list of people Mycroft cared about.

*

 

The Jolly Season of the year had arrived; well… not really since it was November, but Greg always tried to do his shopping before the Holiday frenzy began. Had never been a fan of Xmas; he thought people just lost sight of what it was really about, still, it was nice since he had a few days to himself and to see his family.

But this year, it was different from the past; this year, he had someone he really wanted to spend time with. Unfortunately, that someone had engagements of his own… They had already talked it over; they will meet on the Wednesday previous to the 24th of December, and then they will not be seeing each other till the next Wednesday after New Year.

_They had to see to their family obligations_ , that was what Mycroft had said. The sad part was that Greg had no real _family obligations_ , being the spinster he was, while Mycroft did have a beautiful wife with whom he was expected to attend various parties and family gatherings.

Anyway, time to focus in the **here and now**. He had a lot of shopping to do; really, what was he supposed to buy for his 12-year-old omega niece, what do omegas that age like? – Greg thought while grabbing some jewellery from the rack that was in front of him.

“That is a nice pair of earnings.” – someone said from behind.

“Itzel, hello” – fanfuckingtastic, just the last person Greg wanted to meet.

“Hello Greg, Xmas shopping I see. You look about ready to have a breakdown, what do you say we get out of here. I´ll buy you coffee.” – Itzel offered, smiling.

_God!!! This girl is insane_ , Greg thought, and before he could stop himself, he asked her, sincerely curious:

“Why would you buy me coffee?”

“Well, you look like you are about to have an anxiety attack at the teens’ department. You need to get away from all these pink frilly things like, right now.” – Itzel answered with homour.

“I do not… I…” – Greg stammered.

“Oh, come on…” – Itzel said rolling her eyes and dragging Greg out of the shop they were in.

  She latched herself firmly to Greg´s arm, and she didn´t let him go till they were both sitting at a nice quiet café, with enormous cups of coffee. Once he had taken a couple of sips from his coffee, the reality of whom he was with hit Greg like a ton of bricks; what does one do when having coffee with your lover´s wife? Should he talk about the weather and make small talk? He was lost for words, and there was really just one thing that kept popping into his brain, so he blurted out:

“You smell like him”.

Hearing that, Itzel just tilted her head to the side and looked at Greg like he had gone crazy.

Greg was so embarrassed, but as it so often happened, instead of letting things go, he just kept opening his mouth without analysing the words that came out of it:

“You're bonded, of course you would smell like him. How old are you? I must be 15 years older than you. Why do I feel like an insecure teenager every time we meet, while you are sitting there like a… lady?”

There was something about Greg that made Itzel want to befriend him; it was strange, and many could say she was masochistic, but she wanted to get to know this alpha, so she decided to be honest with him:

“Years of training have taught me how to keep a calm façade; besides, you have no reason to be nervous; I like you, Greg.”

“You, Holmes, and your games…” – Greg replied, exasperated.

“I am not a ‘Holmes’, not really, and I am not toying with you, I really like you.” – Itzel insisted.

“Why?”

“Well, to begin with you are… normal. Sorry that sounded horrible, but it is the truth, I love Mycroft and Sherlock, but being around them is exhausting!!! With them, everything is so… intense all the time, you know?”

“Yes, it is exhausting.” – Greg answered, shaking his head and trying to hide a smile behind his cup of coffee.

After a brief silence, Itzel said:

“John likes you, not only for the way you are with Sherlock, but because he thinks you are honest, fun, understanding, a good listener and overall a decent person.”

“Well I am afraid that was in the past, now no one would say of me that I am a _decent person_ if they knew about… you and…” – at this point, Greg couldn´t bring himself to name Mycroft, so he simply pointed at Itzel´s neck, where her bond-mark rested – “and... me.” – he concluded, bitterly.

Itzel unconsciously touched her bond-mark after Greg’s words – and, in an attempt to make the alpha feel better, she told him:

“The people who do not know us tend to say stupid things, but that is not the case with John. He may not understand our agreement and he thinks you… _us_ – are making a mistake, but believe me, he still thinks you are a decent person and I am sure he would miss you if you stopped being his friend. From what I heard from Sherlock, he becomes cranky the weeks you two do not go out to have a few pints.”

“Well, I would miss that too, I can´t rant about Sherlock with anyone else but with John, because he is the only one who understands that – as frustrated as I get with Sherlock – I still think he is a great kid.” – Greg said with a fond smile.

Yes, Greg was a nice man, that just proved it, he obviously had a soft spot for Sherlock, so Itzel kept trying to show the alpha there was no reason for him to feel so bad.

“See, that is my point, John understands that no one is perfect and he is willing to view the best of each person. I guess that – for him – the only unworthy persons are those that _intentionally_ hurt someone else.”

“And that is my point.”, Greg huffed.

“Who do you think you are hurting Greg?” – Itzel asked softly.

“I am hurting you.” – the alpha answered, holding her hand in an attempt to comfort her, as much as himself.

Itzel turned her hand and intertwined her fingers with Greg´s.

“You are not hurting me, Greg…” – she meant that, her pain wasn´t caused by Greg, it had a different root and she was the only one to blame for it. “If you are hurting anyone, it is yourself. You haven´t done anything wrong Greg, stop beating yourself up.”

“The person I am having a relationship with is married; that is isn't right.” – Greg insisted.

“Why? You haven´t cheated or lied.”

“You are so frustrating, I wish I could get into your mind and fix all the damage caused by years of brainwashing, so you could understand that this _agreement_ between the three of us, isn´t normal.”

“It may not be _normal_ , but that doesn´t mean it is wrong. Besides what is _normal_ anyway?”

“As I said, you are frustrating, and really right now I don´t have any way to convince you; actually, I don´t think I will ever have one.”, Greg said, letting go of Itzel´s hand and raising his own in surrender.

“So you concede defeat?” – Itzel asked with a smirk, too reminiscent to the one Mycroft used…

“You look too pleased with yourself.” – Greg sighed.

“Because I am. What do you say Greg, do you want to be my friend?”, Itzel replied extending her hand to Greg.

“I don´t know if I can.” –Greg whispered, holding Itzel´s hand with both of his.

“Could you try? Please? I know we don´t have too many things in common, but…” – Itzel mumbled.

“No one else would understand, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Ok, I´ll try; guess I owe you that much.”

“You don´t owe me anything; it is the other way around. I got you into this mess and I keep asking things of you.”

“Listen, since we are having this heart-to-heart talk… If we are going to go on with this, whatever _this_ is, you must know that before I met Mycroft and then you, my life was my work. I was functioning on autopilot, there was nothing to look forward to. Everything was basically the same day in and day out. I saw people around me being happy, you know, really happy like John and Sherlock, and thought that if I got to be a tiny bit as happy as them I would be lucky.”

“Do you feel lucky now?”

“I guess I do. What I am trying so say is that _no_ , I haven´t accepted this situation completely–  and for me there will always be something wrong with it; but no one is forcing me to stay, if I really wanted to leave, I wouldn´t be here, not even those puppy dog eyes of yours could stop me.”

“We really have issues, don´t we?”

“We certainly do.”

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Itzel asked:

“So, who were you shopping for in the teenagers’ department? You looked so lost.”

“For my niece, she’s 12.”

“Do you want help choosing what to buy her?”

“Yes, please!!!” – Greg answered, making Itzel laugh.

After that, they talked a little bit about each other and when they finished their coffee, they resumed their shopping.

At some point while shopping, Itzel noticed Greg was acting a little bit strange, fidgeting and constantly looking around.

“Is there a problem?”, she asked.

“I am not sure.” – Greg whispered, while looking at a man in a suit standing a few feet from them.

“Oh. Don´t worry, they are with me, a precaution Mycroft thinks necessary.” – Itzel said, once she realized Greg had noticed they were being followed.

“You don´t agree with that.” – Greg stated.

“I don´t like it.” – Itzel answered, shrugging her shoulders.

“Itzel, what do you know about Mycroft´s work?” – Greg asked.

Itzel laughed without humour before answering:  

“I have a pretty good idea, I just don´t like to think about that, of how it affects our lives, the lives of the children we will have one day. And I know it is not only because of his work, but also because of him being the Holmes Heir and me being the youngest Cedeño. I am a target, whether I like it or not.”

And then it hit him: Sherlock, Mycroft and Itzel had lived a very different life than the rest of them.

“So all your life you have had bodyguards?”

“Yes, basically, but now it is worse. Just before getting married, I had a chauffeur who doubled as a bodyguard when I went shopping or something like that. He will wait for me outside each shop, not go in with me, and at Uni there was no one following me around, the security at the campus was enough, at least for my Father. Now, there is the chauffeur, and two bodyguards. The chauffeur stays in the car in case there´s an emergency and the bodyguards follow me everywhere. It is kind of embarrassing at Uni, or when I go into certain shops, but considering the options are they follow me or Mycroft makes the manager close down the shops for me, I would rather have this. Besides even if Mycroft denies it, I am sure there is another kind of surveillance over me, I kind of feel watched all the time when I am not home.”

“That sounds…”

“Awful, it is awful. No privacy whatsoever, at least five persons know the colour of the underwear I buy, they all know when and what I eat, as well as how many times I visit the bathroom. I hate it, but I know it is necessary. It has its advantages, some alphas and even some betas think they can harass an omega if they see him or her alone, having the bodyguards with me, keep those kinds of people away.”

“So, by now, Mycroft must know we are together, right?”

“Yes, I think so. Does that bother you?”

“I am not sure…”

“I know you are capable of taking care of yourself, but knowing Mycroft, I am certain you have been under surveillance since you started seeing each other; he has this need to know we are ok, I guess that is why he keeps tabs on all of us.”

“Us?”

“Yes, Sherlock, John, you, and I.”

“That is a lot of people to take care of 24/7, don´t you think?”

“Perhaps for someone else, but not for Mycroft, he has the resources to do it. Besides if he didn´t do it I think he would get sick with worry. I dread the day we will have children; he will probably want to implant a chip in them or something like that.”

“Would you allow something like that?”

“I don´t know, maybe… A few years back the son of one of my grandfather’s associates was kidnapped; to this day no one is sure what happened to him. His mother just became a shell of herself, and she constantly said she would rather her son had died, because that way she would know where he was, she could go to his tomb and grieve for him. But as things are, she had no idea where or how he is, she said the doubt of not knowing if he was well, if he was hurt, if he was hungry, was a curse she did not wish upon her worst enemy. So yes, I guess I will allow Mycroft to do whatever he thinks is best to ensure our children are safe no matter what.” –Itzel replied with a faraway look.

“Hey, I am sorry, I shouldn´t have brought up such a delicate topic.” – Greg said tucking Itzel under his arm.

“Oh, no don´t worry, I always get emotional when talking about children, must be an omega thing, please don´t mind me. So what are your plans for the holidays?”

“Well, I normally sign up at work to cover the 24th and the 25th of December, since my parents usually spend Xmas abroad and my brother and sister spend it with their in-laws, then on the 28th I travel home to help my parents with this big party they like to have on New Year´s Eve. What about you?”

“Since have been married, Mycroft and I stayed home for Xmas, and for New Year´s Eve we attended this big party at our parents’ request. But this year I am really looking forward to the Xmas party John has been organizing; aren´t you coming? At least for a little while?”

“I… well… since you and Mycroft will be there I thought…” – Greg stammered.

“Mrs. Hudson and Dr. Hooper will be there too.” – Itzel supplied.

“Dr. Hooper? You mean Molly from the morgue?”

“Yes, Sherlock has befriended her. Please Greg, you have to come, they are your friends. I would feel terrible if you stayed away just because of _us…_ ”

“Itzel it would be too awkward if I were there...”

“No, it won't… Well maybe… Please promise me you will at least think about it.”

“Ok…”

“You are worried about what Mycroft might say of you being there, right? I will talk to him, find out what he thinks.”

“Itzel, there is no need for that, as I told you I usually spend Xmas working, I don´t mind.”

“But I do, this year there is somewhere you are expected, I am sure John will be thrilled to have you there.”

“I will think about it, but I am not promising anything.”

“Fine, but promise me something, even if you do not go to the party, call John; I am afraid he will do something drastic if you do not get him out of his house for this Jolly Time of year, and get him to have a few pints with you and just _be_.” –Itzel smiled, knowing how draining the Holidays could be, being part of the illustrious Holmes Family.

“Ok, I will call him. Hey, what about you? Who do you call when you just want to _be_ , as you said?”

“I have always been a loner, when I want to be, I just sit down with a good book or if I am feeling especially down I have Sherlock, I know I said he can be exhausting, but he can sense when I need him to be _normal._ He is a really good listener, and the way he looks at things always helps me come to terms with the things that are bothering me.”

“So you have no girlfriends?”

“There are a couple of girls at Uni with whom I like to hang out, but well, they are single and they aren´t upper class, so the times we tried to go out things got a little bit awkward, you know?”

“I…”

“Oh, don´t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“You are giving me the _poor little rich girl look_. There is no need for that, I am not lonely, and I like my life in general, even if other people think it isn´t _normal_ , for me it is, because I grew up like that.”

“I´ll trust you with that. Anyway, I am done with my shopping list, what about you?”

“Yes, me too, besides I should be heading home already if I want to be there before Mycroft.”

“See you around then, take care.”

That sounded too much like a dismissal, so Itzel said:

“Hey Greg, would you give me your number?”

So she was serious with the becoming friends thing… Itzel was a nice girl, and as she pointed out, there was no else with whom he could talk about Mycroft, so he thought it wasn´t such a terrible idea to keep in touch.

“Yes, of course, here you have it” –Greg answered, taking out a card and writing down his cell phone number on the back.

“Thanks, I will send you a message so you can save my number.”

“Ok, see you.”

“Bye, Greg” – Itzel said, getting on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.


	24. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And everything begins with friendship...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made it!!! I was able to finish this time for the weekly update...not sure about next chapter though...I am already working on it, so have faith in me ;)

**Chapter 23**

 

“Good evening dear wife” – Mycroft greeted her.

“Good evening dear husband, how was your day?” – Itzel answered, but without looking up from the bow she was trying to place upon one of the gifts she was wrapping.

“As usual. And yours, had fun shopping?” – Mycroft asked, raising an eyebrow and looking around to the many bags, boxes, ribbons and wrapping paper surrounding his omega.

“I always have fun shopping…” – Itzel smirked – “By the way, I ran into Greg at the mall, but you probably already know that.”

“Indeed… I am surprised by how friendly you are to each other, but I am glad that is the case.” – and to his own surprise, Mycroft was being honest. He had seen the footage, of course, Greg and Itzel had held hands and even hugged each other a couple of times – but he had not felt his usual possessiveness emerge, perhaps because he trusted both of them.

“Well, Greg is a nice alpha. I like him. Did you know that John invited him to his Christmas party? When Sherlock found out, he threw a temper tantrum, saying that he should also be allowed to do insensitive things if John was inviting Greg to a party where you and I would be present. Guess John just thought it would be worse not to invite Greg, and then Greg finding out about the party.”

“Yes, Sherlock mentioned Greg had been invited to the party, when I visited him last week.”

“You visited him last week? – Itzel asked with a big smile – “Anyway, would you mind if Greg attended the party?”

“Would you?”

“I asked first.” – Itzel pointed out, but seeing Mycroft´s stern look, she just rolled her eyes – “Whatever, I will answer first. No. I would not mind, as I told you, I like him and I think he needs to take some time for himself, he does nothing but work, that can´t be healthy.”

“No, I don´t think I would mind him being there; actually, it is something I expected, since he and John are friends.”

“And that is what I told him. You should make that clear to him next time you meet.”

“Of course milady, your wish is my command.”

“Sorry, didn´t mean to sound so bossy” – Itzel smiled.

“I know, my darling. I will talk to Gregory about this, but I am not sure if he will go, he is still coming to terms with our agreement.”

“I guess he is also kind-of worried about how it would make him feel to see us together; perhaps you should mention to him we aren´t prone to public displays of affection. I mean whenever we are at John´s and Sherlock´s; we don´t touch each other in front of them, we don´t even hold hands.”

“I do not think there is a need for that. My relationship with you is something I do not talk to Gregory about.” – Mycroft said in a normal tone, just stating something that was true.

“I apologise; guess I was assuming too much. I will refrain from talking about Greg with you.” – Itzel said on a serious tone, feeling chastised even if Mycroft had not actually done or said anything to make her feel like that.

“Surprisingly, I do not mind talking about Greg with you; no lies between us and no sugar-coating the truth, remember?”

“Exactly.” –  she answered, directing a small smile to Mycroft.

 

*

 

A week after meeting Greg at the mall, Itzel called him and invited him to lunch; they went to the same café where they had first talked about Mycroft.

Greg did not want to make her uncomfortable or anything, but it was near work, the food wasn´t terrible and he really did not have that much time lately, since this time of year, along with the jolliness, brought an increase in the number of deaths.

“Hi, Greg!” –  Itzel said, waving him over to the table she was already occupying.

“Hello, you!” –  he answered with a smile, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek without actually thinking about it.

“God, you look terrible, have you slept at all this week?”

“Oh, thank you, Miss I Look as Fresh as a Rose” – Greg answered grumpily.

“Sorry, that was insensitive of me; I was just surprised, that is all” – Itzel smiled apologetically.

“No, love, don´t worry, it is the truth, I am just knackered…” – Greg said, rubbing his face with both hands.

“Any hope you can take a few days off, soon?”

“Nah, not really, difficult time of year for us.”

“Yes, so I have heard.”

“So tell me what have you been doing?”

“Well, at Uni, you know, preparing some assignments I have to deliver **_before_** the holidays, and making sure I have everything I need in order to prepare the assignments I have to deliver **_after_** the holidays. So it is reading and typing and more reading and more typing, fortunately next semester I can begin my practice.”

“What are you studying?”

“Psychology. I am specializing in education; I want to treat children, especially omegas who have problems at school.”

“That sounds good, just the other day my niece mentioned there was a math teacher who kind-of ignored omegas, and did not take the time to explain things to them; he even had the nerve to say they will not need it after they started having babies. Really, in this day and age.”

“Yes, unfortunately there are still people who think omegas are only good for one thing. Are there many omegas in the force?”

“You know what, I don’t really know. At least in my division there is none… I have met some that are in forensics, but now that you mention it, I do not think there are any… _out there_. Must be something to do with the fact they are mothers, and well, the bosses must not want to feel responsible for leaving orphaned children.”

“There are female betas aren´t there? They could be mothers too and the bosses do not worry about them being out there, as you said. No, it has more to do with other old-fashioned ideas. Anyway, you can´t change the world in one day, and our best shot is to give a proper education to the younger generations.”

“So, you plan to work in a school?”

“No, I want to create a Centre and admit as many children, teenagers and young persons as I can.”

“Well, let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

“Yes, thank you! Perhaps later, when everything is actually in place, you can come and give some lectures, explain what it is like to be a D. I. Who knows, maybe you will be the inspiration for a bunch of omegas to enroll as constables.”

Greg laughed wholeheartedly.

“Me, an inspiration? I do not think so, but I can teach them some self-defence techniques.”

“I had not thought of that, it is actually a good idea. Will you teach me?”

“What? No, no love, I do not want Mycroft skinning me alive.”

“You know this is the second time you have called me _love…_ do you call every omega that? And if you do not teach me, I will ask Anthea.”

“No, I do not call every omega _love_ , it just feels right to call you that, for some strange reason I do not want to analyse, but I will stop doing it. Who’s Anthea?”

“I do not mind you calling me _love_ , I like it actually, it has been a long time since anyone gave me a pet-name. Anthea is Mycroft´s P.A. I am sure you have met her, she is a tall and beautiful beta who seems glued to her Blackberry.”

Greg´s eyes widened at realizing who exactly Anthea was; Mycroft had never introduced them, but he was sure that woman knew at least 100 different ways to kill a man with her high stilettos shoes.

“No, you can´t ask Anthea to teach you self-defence, she will just turn you into a ninja and then Mycroft will not only skin me for giving you the idea, he will also chop me into little pieces for letting you go to Anthea.”

“So that means you are you going to teach me self-defence?”

“Fine, after the holidays, I promise.”

“Great!!!”

Greg and Itzel kept talking for a long while; they got along really well. Itzel was not at all what Greg expected, she was _normal_ , for lack of a better word.

They even talked about Mycroft… about the little quirks of him that drove both of them crazy, and they concluded he was suffering from OCD; really, that man and cleanliness… And in some way it was freeing, being able to talk with someone about the man he was dating, without hiding things.

“I have to go; my boss will have my head for how much time I took for lunch.”

“Oh, I am sorry.”

“Nah, don´t worry it is just an expression, after all he is always asking me to stay extra hours.”

“Sure?”

“Yes, love, no problem.”

“OK” – Itzel answered getting up and taking out her credit card.

“Oh no, I am buying, really, my mother brought me up properly”

“Thank you, it was nice talking with you.”

“Yes it was, love. So would you mind if I called you next week, see if we can have lunch again?”

“Yes, Greg, I would really like that, thank you” – and after kissing him on the cheek, Itzel left in one of Mycroft´s black cars.

_Well, it is official, I have some big issues. Really, befriending my lover´s wife… I need to socialize more… Yeah, right, like I have the time or the will to do it. Whatever, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right? Seems this little agreement earned me a lover and a friend_ , Greg thought while returning to the Yard.

His outings with Itzel became customary; they did not meet every week, but they kept in touch; he even got used to her messaging him by WhatsApp at least 10 silly memes a day.

 

*

 

“Itzel is looking forward to John´s and Sherlock´s Xmas Party next week. She really wants you to go” – Mycroft said while having dinner at Greg´s apartment. This week both of them had had a lot of work, and they just wanted a quiet night together to relax and enjoy each other´s company.

“What about you?” – Greg asked not lifting his eyes from his plate.

“It will be nice to have you there.”

“Seriously?”

Mycroft just raised an eyebrow and said:

“Itzel collects dolls and stationary.”

Greg laughed.

“Why are you telling me that? Which I already knew, by the way; really, that girl has more pink frilly pens and notebooks than it is legally allowed.”

“You seem the kind of person who enjoys giving presents for Xmas.”

“Yes, that is me” – Greg said, shaking his head, and then pointed to Mycroft with his fork – “So you know, I already have her present; I actually found it relatively easy to choose. On the other hand, buying a present for you dear Mycroft, was a completely different story”.

“You bought me a present?” –Mycroft asked, surprised.

“Of course, Myc, really couldn´t you have guessed that?”

 

*

 

“Ok, I guess everything is ready, what do you think John?” – Itzel asked.

“Yes, thank you so much, it would have taken me a lot of time if I had done this alone.” – John answered, coming out from the kitchen with a pair of trays with canapes on them.

“Nothing to thank me for, I love organizing parties, I just hope everybody has a good time, and likes the food.”

“You cooked?” – John asked, a little nervously.

“No John, I did not. Really have a little bit of faith in me, I do not want anyone ending up in the hospital thanks to my cooking.”

“No it´s fine, it´s just that…”

“I am a terrible cook, I know that, John, no need to lie. But you do like my cookies so I baked a few for you.”

“You know I just don´t understand it, how can you bake those delicious cookies when everything else you cook is well… inedible.”

“I wonder that myself; anyway at what time do you think the others will be over?”

“I bet Mrs. Hudson will be here in a few minutes, Molly will arrive in a half an hour, more or less, and I bet Sherlock will stop fussing over his appearance in about two hours, so…” – John shrugged.

Itzel laughed, because it was true: Sherlock could take hours to get his hair the way he liked it.

“Does Greg say if he was coming? Have you seen him lately?”

“Greg and I are friends, like always, we see each other whenever we have time, and everything is ok between us, if that is what you asking. About him being here, Itzel, what is with this obsession about befriending Greg?”

“I like him, and I… I want to understand why… and as I told him, he is the only one with whom I could talk about this…”.

“He is a good man, Itzel, what else do you need to know? It is not fair what you ask of him, you do realize he is in an awkward position don´t you?”

“I know, I am sorry.”

“No, you are not, and that is the worst part. You are like a child pulling at a scab. Just… do not hurt Greg, ok?”

“I won´t John, I promise; well… I´ll try.”

John approached Itzel and hugged her.

“I wish I could fix this mess for all of you… please be careful and don´t complicate things any more than necessary.”

“Good evening” – Mrs. Hudson greeted them.

“Oh Mrs. Hudson, how are you? Please come in, come in!”

John led Mrs. Hudson to the living room, while Itzel remained in the kitchen, thinking of what John had said to her.

An hour later, all the guests, except Greg, were at the party; they were having a good time. For a beta, Molly was really shy and quiet and Itzel soon realized she had been unfair to her and tried to change the situation engaging her in conversation. Mrs. Hudson had cornered Mycroft and had been retelling her whole life story to him, while John and Sherlock danced slowly in a world of their own.

They were getting ready to eat dinner when Greg arrived.

“Hello everybody, I hope I am not too late.”

“Hey mate, glad you could make it” –John said, patting Greg´s back and handing him a beer.

“Hello Greg, how are you?” – Itzel asked, approaching him and kissing him on the cheek.

“I am fine love” – he answered, smiling at her – “Hey I brought presents, where should I leave them?”.

“Give them to me, I´ll place them with the others”

“Gregory” – Mycroft also greeted him, with a light nod of his head.

“Myc” – Greg answered, mimicking Mycroft´s nod.

“Lestrade, did you bring me cold cases as a present?”

“You wish, you, crazy boy. Did you ask Molly for body parts?”

“He did.” –Molly said shyly.

“Oh you did not, Molly…” – a vexed John exclaimed.

“Well he is very convincing…” – Molly answered, blushing.

They all laughed – and somehow, the tension dissipated as they all sat down to have dinner; the couples sat together, while Greg ended up sitting between Molly and Mrs. Hudson. The conversation was light and pleasant and once they were finished, John turned up the volume of the music to keep dancing with Sherlock. Molly said she wasn´t a good dancer, while Mrs. Hudson grabbed Mycroft´s arm and made him dance with her; it was so funny – Mrs. Hudson had something of a crush on Mycroft, and she did not miss any opportunity to spend time with him.

“Will you dance with me?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Mycroft won´t mind.”

“Ok.”

They had a pleasant evening, and even after Mycroft was able to disengage from Mrs. Hudson, Itzel kept dancing with Greg.

“You are surprised.” – Sherlock stated, noticing the way his alpha kept turning his gaze to Itzel and Greg.

“I… well yes. I mean Greg has been dancing non-stop with Itzel and Mycroft hasn’t gone into the full alpha mode, like he usually does whenever an alpha spends too much time with Itzel.”

“Yes, my brother was never good at sharing his toys. Maybe the fact that both of them are his toys makes a difference.”

“Sherlock…”

“What? That is the truth.”

_No, it really isn’t_ , John thought, but contradicting Sherlock will not bring about anything good, since he will ask John to explain what he meant. The truth was that neither Itzel, nor Greg were _toys_ ; Mycroft cared too much about the both of them, and wasn’t that a bigger mess?

 

*

 

Mrs. Hudson and Molly had left about an hour ago; Mycroft had been his usual gentlemanly self and had insisted Molly let his chauffeur drive her home. Now it was only the five of them, and somehow it wasn´t awkward; John and Greg had been retelling some of the cases in which Sherlock had helped, and they were all laughing like crazy, well… except the Holmes Brothers, although Itzel noticed Mycroft was amused.

Once Sherlock started yawning and making any hint he could think of to let them know they had overstayed their welcome, Mycroft got up.

“Itzel dear, I think it is time for us to leave”

“Of course. Goodbye John, good-bye Sherlock, I had a great time” – she said, hugging each one of them in turn.

“Guess I will be going too, leave you two love birds alone to enjoy the remainder of the night.” – Greg added.

“So gracious of you, Graham” –Sherlock said with false politeness.

“Sherlock, behave, it is Xmas.” – John sighed, although he gave a fond smile to his omega.

“Whatever, John I will be taking a bath” – and just like that, Sherlock left the room.

“Ok, be with you in a few moments, I will just accompany them to the door.” – John yelled to his back.

“No need for that John, thank you, we will see ourselves out.” – Mycroft said, smiling at the way Sherlock and John interacted.

“Well, thank you for coming, it is the first time in years since I had such a nice Xmas with family and friends.” – John answered, shaking Mycroft´s hand.

“Bye mate, thank you” – Greg said, hugging John for a brief moment.

Itzel, Mycroft and Greg descended the stairs quietly, once they were on the street, Itzel turned to Greg and kissed him on the cheek:

 “Merry Xmas, Greg. Thank you for my present I really liked it.”

“It was nothing, really I saw the locket and I just thought you would like it.”

“Well I do, I really do. Thank you and I hope you’ll wear my present; really Greg you spend too much time outdoors to not own a proper scarf; besides, you can annoy Sherlock by showing him he is not the only one who can use a scarf to dismiss people.”

“Oh, now you have given me another reason to use it, thank you” – Greg laughed.

Itzel was surprised seeing Greg laugh, so she turned to Mycroft.

“See, he laughed, told you, not everybody thinks my sense of humour is lame.”

“I never said that, dear wife”

“No, but you think it, which is worse, if you ask me” – Itzel said, punching Mycroft in the chest playfully, when she realized what they were doing, acting as they usually did when they were alone; she became serious, and fearing she could hurt Greg feelings, she whispered to no one in particular – “Sorry” and then she turned to Mycroft – “I will be waiting for you in the car.”

“Thank you, my dear wife.”

“Well Myc, Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year, see you soon. Just call me to set up a date.”

“Thank you Gregory, Merry Xmas to you too and thank you for my present, it is a wonderful book, you must have visited hundreds of second-hand libraries.”

“Well, you can always find some treasures there. I thank you for your gift”

“You did not open it.”

“No, sorry I just couldn´t, didn´t seem the right thing to do.”

“Well I hope you like it.”

“I was of a mind to give it back, but that doesn´t feel right either. Please don´t take it the wrong way if I do not open it, at least for a while.”

“It is fine, Gregory, I understand. Good night, I will call you as soon as the Holidays are over.”

“Of course, see you.” – and without thinking, Gregory hugged Mycroft and gave him a peck on the lips.

Mycroft did not say anything back, he just held Gregory for a few seconds before letting him go. Mycroft waited on the sidewalk until Gregory got into his car and drove off, then he turned around and joined Itzel.

As soon as Mycroft was comfortably sitting in the car, Itzel cuddle up next to Mycroft, “I´m tired” – she said sleepily – “I am glad your parents aren´t expecting us till supper.”

“They know Sherlock will never make it to breakfast, he is not an early riser” – Mycroft answered, pulling Itzel on his lap. – “Did you have fun?”

“Yes, but you already knew that” – Itzel smiled against Mycroft chest; they stayed like that, not talking, just enjoying each other’s presence and after a few minutes Itzel drifted to sleep, nestled into her alpha´s arms.

Mycroft watched her sleep… he could perceive Gregory´s smell on her, and for some reason that escaped his logical mind, he did not feel angered by that.

Even if his Brother had not said it loud enough, Mycroft knew Sherlock thought he considered Itzel and Gregory as _toys_ , but he didn´t; they had both become too important to him; the idea of losing either of them filled him with worry, and that was not something good, with his line of work he could not afford the distraction, there were always persons ready to take advantage of the slightest weakness.

Besides, he knew this agreement was just temporary; he may be a selfish bastard, but he could not, in good conscience, deny Gregory the possibility of establishing a relationship with someone else if the opportunity arose. _But you are making sure that possibility never presents itself, don´t you? That is why you make sure to occupy all of Gregory´s free time, that is why you let him and Itzel be friends_ … a little voice inside of Mycroft mind said, a voice that sounded too much like Sherlock´s, making it easy for him to dismiss it. No, Mycroft was not trying to tie Gregory to him…

 

*

 

“Are they gone?” – Sherlock asked from the shower since he had heard John entering their bedroom.

“Yes” – John answered, taking off his clothes and joining his omega in the shower.

“Good, they had already overstayed their welcome” – Sherlock said with a self-satisfied smile.

John did not answer, and simply started kissing his omega´s neck and shoulders.

“Do you remember when you did not find me attractive?” – Sherlock huffed.

“You were too young Sherlock; I was not comfortable with the idea of being intimate with you. I was an adult and you were a teenager, a gorgeous teenager, but a teenager nonetheless.”

“So, back then, you thought I was gorgeous?”

“Well, yes, after all I am not blind, I could appreciate you were aesthetically pleasing, although your personality was what draw me to you. I just hated the idea of you with one of those other alphas your Father had introduced you to. I knew they will try to break your spirit, and I just could not allow it.” – John answered while washing his omega’s hair.

They took a quick shower and stayed under the spray of the hot water after a few moments, just enjoying hugging each other. After that, Sherlock closed the water taps and they both left the bathroom, towelling themselves in their way to the bedroom.

“We have been married for 5 years now.” – Sherlock stated dropping his towel carelessly on the floor and plopping on the bed.

“Glad you remember” – John joked, joining Sherlock on the bed and pulling him closer so his head was resting on his chest.

“Oh, I make a point of remembering everything that has to do with you, John” –Sherlock said, playing with his alpha´s chest hair.

John used one finger to lift Sherlock´s face, to look into his eyes:

“I love you, Sherlock.”

“I love you, John.”

John smiled, but then his expression turned into one of mock suspicion.

“Hey, was that my Xmas present? Did you forget to buy me something this year too?”

“Oh, John” – Sherlock said, rolling his eyes – “For once, I am trying to be romantic and you go and ruin it.”

“Sorry love, but can you blame me?”

“No, I guess not; after all, on previous occasions when I tried to be romantic, it was because I wanted you to allow me to conduct not-so-safe experiments in the kitchen. Good for you, John! Seems you are getting a little bit more observant.”

“Well, I am learning from the best”, John answered kissing Sherlock deeply.

“Of course…” – Sherlock said, directing a self-satisfied smile to John, but after a few seconds his expression changed completely – and for the first time in a while, John saw Sherlock rise all his defences and hide behind a blank expression. – “John, how long before you take a lover? The contract you signed with my Father does not oblige you to be faithful to me.”

“Ok, love, come on, sit down” – John said, pulling Sherlock to sit on the bed; if they were going to have this conversation, he needed to be face to face with his omega and the position they were currently in made it uncomfortable. Once they were facing each other sitting cross-legged on the bed, John continued. – “I will not take a lover; I did not marry you considering that an option. I love you truly and deeply; the idea of being with someone else is distasteful.”

“Are you sure? All my life I´ve seen alphas getting bored of their omegas. I have gathered a lot of information and come up with statistics. I must say you are outside of the normal parameters, since in the average marriage it takes the alpha a maximum of 3 years to take a lover, and – as I pointed out earlier, we have been together for 5 years.”

“There you have it, love; I am the exception that confirms the rule.” – John stated in a soft voice – “Not to mention you are the exception to many, many rules. You are gorgeous and brilliant, Sherlock; in truth, I sometimes fear it will be the other way around, that you will get bored of me…”

“Idiot” – Sherlock said, sitting astride his alpha´s lap. – “You are the least boring person that exists, I will make sure to always keep you”

“Good then, because I do plan on always keeping you. I love you Sherlock”

“I love you, John” – Sherlock answered, wrapping his arms and legs around his alpha, as if he were an octopus.

John started to kiss and nip at Sherlock´s neck, but before things became too heated he asked:

“Did you take your pills?”

“John!!!” – Sherlock huffed.

“Come on love, we have talk about this if briefly, I do want pups with you, but you… WE are not ready, there are too many things we want to do and having a baby now will only complicate things for us and we could come to resent the child.”

“I know; I know… but Mummy…”

Fuck, he knew it, he knew it! He shouldn’t have let Itzel convince him about helping Siger become closer to his sons.

“What did Siger tell you? When did you two talk?”

“Mummy phoned yesterday to remind me we are expected at the Estate tomorrow for supper and no, John, he did not mention anything about us having pups now. What I meant is that before we even met, Mummy used to tell me alphas of a certain age will feel the need to have pups.”

John laughed at that.

“So I am an alpha of a certain age? What does that mean? That I am old?”

“Yes John, you are old, ancient actually”

“Oh yes? I will show you how ancient I am” – and John kissed Sherlock till he was breathless, rubbing both of their arousals in order to drive his omega crazy with desire. – “Seriously Sherlock, did you take your pills?” – John asked in a whisper, against Sherlock´s lips and looking into his eyes.

“Yes, I did. For a second I thought of not doing it, but then I realized that if you were already getting bored, children will not make a difference; you will leave or look for a lover no matter what.”

“We are not Itzel and Mycroft, we are different Sherlock, please don´t let what happens between them affect us”

“I know, I know, still my data…”

John interrupted Sherlock with a kiss.

“Please love, just for once, trust _me_ and not your data”

“Ok, John.”

“Good” – and John smiled, vowing to himself to never betray that trust, Sherlock was a genius who projected a tough exterior to the world, but he was really a gentle soul who wanted to be accepted for who he was. John will first cut his own arm than hurt him; he knew things never stayed the same and that circumstances made people change, but he believed there were a few things that were unalterable: the sun rising every morning and his love for Sherlock were two of these things, and he will spend the rest of his life proving that to his mate.

“John!!!! Make love to me already” –Sherlock pouted, pushing his body against his alpha so he could feel how much he wanted him.

“Pushy omega” – John laughed, kissing Sherlock and doing exactly what he had been asked to do… all night long.

 


	25. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because it could not be that easy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is this week´s update, not as late as I expected, although I am not so sure about next one, but promise I am already working on next chapter.

**Chapter 24**

 

The rest of the Xmas Holidays went by as usual for Greg; he worked late every day, until the time for him to go home and be with his parents. He liked to drive there, even if it was a 4-hour drive; he had always enjoyed to see the landscape change, from the urban sites he was used to see every day to the open green fields and rural areas.

As always, his Mother was the one who came out to greet him, giving him a tight hug and waving him inside, saying he could unload his car once he stretched his legs a little and had a cup of cocoa. It was a kind of a ritual of hers and Greg just loved it. He could not help but wonder, would his Mother receive him the same way if she knew about his relationship with Mycroft? She was a true romantic, she believed in true love and soulmates and happily-ever-afters… _Stop it, Greg; not the right time to think about this_ , he told himself shaking his head and plastering a fake smile before his Mother could be able to tell there was something wrong with him.

Fortunately for Greg, after drinking his cup of cocoa and unloading his car, his Father got home, which signalled the beginning of the crazy preparations for the _Lestrade´s New Year´s Party_ ; he always wondered why his parents loved to postpone its organization until the very last minute, so to speak, but most of all why did his Mother begin cooking dinner on the night of the 29th; really, couldn´t they leave all the washing and cutting of the vegetables for the morning of the 30th?

But he knew better than to ask. When they were teenagers, his headstrong alpha sister had asked _that_ particular question and she hadn’t gotten any answer; all she had gotten was a ton of potatoes to wash, peel and chop. So Greg just followed his Mother´s instructions obediently, hoping he could make it to bed and catch a couple of hours of sleep before his Mother would wake him up to help clean and decorate the house.

As Greg expected, there were a couple of crazy days, filled with house-chores and, for once, he was grateful for all the work; it kept his mind off **certain things** he did not want to think about, what was more, both his parents seemed to have a knack at knowing when their children were going through a difficult situation and did not let it go till they got them to open up.

Greg had always found that comforting; of the three Lestrade children, he was the one who had never had anything against that habit; often, when he had a problem, he would make a show of mopping around the house, so his Mother or Father would approach him and ask what was wrong; but right now, that was the last thing he wanted; his parents would not understand; they had the perfect loving marriage… No, this was something he will have to figure out by himself, without the advice of his parents.

On the morning of 31st, his Brother and Sister, along with their families arrived for what it had become their traditional late Xmas breakfast. Since they spent the 24th of December apart, they had made a habit to have breakfast together and spend some time alone _as a family_ , to remember old times and to catch up, and – to the delight of his nephews and nieces – to exchange gifts.

As usual, after having opened the gifts, his Brother and Sister and their respective mates started talking about the wonders and horrors of marriage and parenthood and, as usual, Greg went about picking up discarded wrapping paper and dirty dishes, as a tactic to not be dragged into their conversation.

He usually found sanctuary in the kitchen, where he helped his Mother do the dishes, while they talked about anything and everything, but the universe was obviously against him, when out of the blue his Mother asked him:

“So, who is this omega you are seeing?”

Greg could not help but spit the juice he had just sipped, starting then to cough.

“What?” – he asked, once he was able to.

“Who is _he_ or _she_? The presents you brought, you obviously had help in choosing them, and I don´t know, but they have a certain touch… that just screams to me that it was an omega who suggested you what to buy.”

“Mom, that is just something wrong to say, really like an alpha or a beta do not know how to choose a gift, that is…”

“Oh shush you, I know it makes me sound like an old-fashioned prejudiced bigot. Still, I am right, aren´t I?”

“NO!” – Greg exclaimed defensively.

“Greg, I am old… not stupid. So tell me what is going on; if you are dating someone, why don´t you want to tell us? Why did you not bring that person home? You used to bring over whoever you were dating, even if you hadn´t been seeing each other for a long time.”

“Ok, yes, an omega helped me choose the presents, but I am not dating her, she is just a friend, she is bonded…”

“Oh Greg, why do you always do this to yourself? Always falling for the wrong person. Son, you have had enough disappointments to last you a life time, and now a bonded omega, you know there is no future for that, don´t you? You are placing yourself and the omega at risk, what if his or her mate finds out? What if –”

“Bloody hell Mom!!!”

“GREGORY ALEXANDER LESTRADE, YOU WILL NOT CURSE IN THIS HOUSE, AND LEAST OF ALL TO ME!!!”

“Sorry, that was rude of me, but I can´t believe you think I would date a bonded omega. You think so lowly of me? With my line of work? With all the crimes of passion I have to deal with? You really have no idea who I am, do you?” – Greg said with controlled fury; his guilt over his relationship with Mycroft and the knowledge that his Mother thought him capable of dating a bonded omega were not a good combination, he needed to get out of here before he did something worse than cursing in front of his Mother.

“I need to go, please excuse me” – he said dashing up the stairs to pick up his travel bag; luckily, he never brought too many things with him, since he still had a lot of clothes at his parents’ home.

He was almost done when his Father knocked at the door at let himself in.

“Greg, what is going on?”

“Nothing, I just can´t stay for the party, please make my excuses to everybody”

“No Greg, what is _really_ going on? I know you, son; there is something eating at you. Please confide in us, we are your parents, no matter what happened we will always be by your side.”

“Really? Are you going to apply with me the bad cop, good cop routine? You must stop watching CSI Father, that is not how things work.”

“Greg, this is not like you.”

“No? How would you know? We barely see each other. I am not the teenager that lived under your roof anymore; maybe _even then,_ you did not know the _real me_ … at least not if you are so sure that I am dating a bonded omega.”

“Greg, I am sorry, we do not believe that, your Mom is just worried about you; you have been alone for too long, but we could still see in you the signs you are with someone. Don´t ask me how we know that, we just do, but we were also able to notice there is something weighing on your conscience, and then your Mom deduced that the presents were chosen by an omega… Things just escalated from there.”

“I am seeing someone, yes, but I am not dating a bonded omega… I am dating… I am dating another alpha… Anyway, I just have an omega friend who happens to be bonded, actually I have two friends that are bonded omegas, Sherlock and Itzel, that is all.”

Greg´s Dad was no fool and he knew to choose his battles, so even when his son admitted seeing someone, another alpha at that, he did not pressure him to say anything else; he knew some people still consider those kind of relationships as _unnatural;_ perhaps the alpha Greg was dating was dealing with it; after all, he knew Greg was really open and accepting of his sexuality; instead he just added:

“You have talked to us about Sherlock and his mate John, but who is Itzel?”

His Father’s calm demeanour made Gregory´s fury diminish; unfortunately, that only made him feel even guiltier; he had never had an argument with his Mother before; he sighed tiredly and sat on the bed.

“She is Sherlock´s sister in law. She is nothing like Sherlock, she is beautiful and nice, really sweet. She has a lot of plans to help other omegas reach their potential. She is what many would call a princess, but there is so much more about her, she just needs to gain a little bit of self-confidence.”

“You like her.”

“Yes, but not as you think, I just… she is good company. We… have some things in common, we talk about that and it helps both of us.”

“So she is an upper class omega stuck in a bad marriage.” –Greg´s Dad stated, as if that were a fact.

Greg sighed again and rubbed his face with both hands.

“No, it is not a bad marriage, just a loveless one.”

“Son, you are not making any sense.” –Mr. Lestrade whispered, a tad exasperated, since he could not fathom how a loveless marriage could be a good marriage.

“You know how things are between them… the upper class. Sherlock´s brother is a decent alpha, he treats Itzel very well… he obviously cares for her and for what I have seen they get along, but…”

“But they aren´t _in love_ , is that it?”

Greg just wanted to tell his Dad everything; he was a good man and had an amazing ability to listen and give the best impartial advice; still, this was something that involved too many people; he felt he would be betraying Itzel´s trust and putting Mycroft´s position at risk if he told his Dad about their _agreement._

“Meeting them, Sherlock, John, Itzel and… Mycroft, has made me realize that relationships, just as human beings are different and complicated. You and Mom are so lucky… you have no idea of how much. Your lives, your marriage is so… perfect and happy; for years I thought that was how things should be. I spent my youth trying to reach that ideal, just to mess up relationship after relationship, placing unrealistic goals over my partner as well as over myself, not because they are impossible, but because they were not right for us… I thought building a marriage was like following a recipe to the letter. A recipe I learnt by watching you and mom… and now look at me, an old jaded alpha who has nothing going for himself in terms of a _family_.”

“Greg, I am sorry, we never meant to impose to you, any of you, our way of living, and son, you are not old…”

“I am for an unmarried alpha.”

“Greg, as you just said each person is different, you do not have to feel pressured to live up to what society dictates.”

“I know that… and still I can’t shake the feeling that I have failed… that I have not become the person you expected.”

“Greg, son, we are proud of you. I will not lie, your life, as well as that of your siblings did not turn out as we expected, that does not mean we consider you a failure. And if we ask and meddle in your lives is because we want the best for you, which does not necessarily mean that we are right in our appreciations or opinions.”

“I am sorry… I shouldn´t have acted the way I did with Mom.”

“No you shouldn´t have, nor should have I said what I said.” –Greg´s Mom said, coming into the room and hugging him.

“Should have known you were listening behind the door” – Greg hugged her back and whispered – “I am sorry Mom”.

He was feeling torn; his parents were right in suspecting there was something wrong with him, still his Mother believing he would put an omega at risk had rubbed him the wrong way, and increased his guilt at dating Mycroft, since he knew he was actually hurting Itzel.

“Ok, enough of this” –Greg´s Mom said, wiping away a few tears – “we must start getting ready for the party, you know how much your nieces take in the bathroom.”

“Yes, yes, you are right, my love” – Greg´s Dad added.

“I will not stay for the party.”

“What? No Greg, you have to stay, I really did not mean what I said.”

Greg smiled sadly at his Mom.

“I need to be alone, you are right, there is something bothering me, but I have to deal with that on my own, not because I do not trust you, but because as I said, I am not a teenager anymore, I can´t expect you to analyse my problem and tell me how to solve it.”

“But Greg…”

“Don´t worry son, we will make your excuses. Come on, love. “

“But Ralph…”

“You heard Greg, he needs his privacy now and we will respect that, he is not a teenager anymore.”

“Yes, yes, you are right” – Greg´s mom sighed – “I guess you are not in the mood to say goodbye to the family… just get out through the back door and make sure to call when you get home, understood?”

“Don’t worry Mom, and thank you both for understanding.”

His mother smiled sadly and left the room.

Mr. Lestrade approached his son, and gave him a tight hug, and once he was sure his wife had left, he said to Greg.

“Don´t be a stranger son and… fight for whoever it is you are in love with; love is always worth it, no matter if other people think what you feel is wrong.”

“I am not in love.”

“Are you sure?” – Mr. Lestrade asked with a knowing smile, leaving the room.

Once alone, Greg let himself drop on the bed and hid his face on the pillow to scream; leave it to his Dad to bring up the exact thing he did not want to think about. After that lapse of emotion, Greg finished packing up his things and left by the back door as his Mom had suggested, when he opened the trunk of his car, he was not surprised to find there all the presents he had received from his family, as well as different containers with food. Yes, he will always have his family; still, it was time for him to grow up and stop hiding behind what he thought his family expected from him; so with a decided smile, he got into his car and went home, he needed to think.

 

*

 

Oh, this was wondrous; for some reason, it had gotten into Mummy´s head to hold the New Year Party at the Holmes’ Estate; she thought it will give them a better opportunity to spend some time with family and friends, since because of their occupations, they barely saw each other… like any of them could stand each other´s presence for more than a few hours… still, since it had been Mr. Siger Holmes himself who had come up with the idea, everybody had agreed; you just did not say **no** to the Holmes Matriarch, especially when the Holmes Patriarch had supported the idea.

So here was Mycroft, mingling among the guests and making sure they all felt welcomed, exactly what he wanted to do tonight…

“Mycroft, there you are, son, I have been looking for you; Itzel tells me you will be leaving tomorrow at noon.”

“Mummy, great party, and yes we will be leaving tomorrow; you know I can´t be away from London for too long because of my work.”

“Really, Mycroft… the Kingdom won´t fall if you take a few days off; anyway, since you have already decided to leave, I know there is nothing I can do or say to make you change your mind. Then, will you allow me a few words in private now?”

“Of course Mummy, would the Library be an acceptable place for us to talk?”

“Yes, that will be great.”

Siger and Mycroft navigated through the ball room with all the experience they had, leaving the party with no one really noticing. As soon as they were in the library, Siger signalled him to seat down, while he poured a scotch for both of them.

“Thank you, Mummy.”

“You’re welcome, son” – Siger answered, taking a seat facing Mycroft, and after taking a couple of sips from his drink he looked directly into his son´s eyes.

“Why did you take a lover?”

“Who told you that?”

“No one. I have just been observing you and Itzel, and do not look so surprised, as I have told you before, there is much of me you do not know. Mycroft, listen to me; whatever agreement you have made with Itzel and your lover, it will not last. You do realize that, do you not? One or both of them will get frustrated by it at some point.”

“Mummy I would really appreciate it if you did not interfere with my life.” – Mycroft said in a cold tone that had made more than one diplomat back off.

But Siger was not to be deterred; he will not stand at the side-lines idly, watching Mycroft throw away his happiness.

“I haven’t been interfering in your life since you were born and it was a grave mistake, so even if it is too late now I will not stay quiet. You will ruin a perfectly happy marriage, Mycroft, for a flight of fancy; this alpha, Gregory – yes he is attractive, but is he worth it? I thought you were smarter than that.”

“Nothing is perfect Mummy… and Gregory is not a flight of fancy, I really like him.” – Mycroft snapped, feeling the need to defend Gregory.

“And what about Itzel, what do you feel about her?” – Siger asked, angry at how blind Mycroft was… that girl was very much in love with his son, why couldn’t he see it?

“She is my omega.” –Mycroft said simply, like that explained everything, that was what he told himself to explain Itzel´s place in his life, because he did not want to analyse everything she made him feel, because he was Mycroft Holmes, the Iceman, he did not feel.

“And?” – Siger insisted.

“What else is there to say?” – Mycroft said, exasperated.

“Oh Mycroft… Please, think about it; as an alpha you must feel the need to protect your omega; then why are you doing something that may hurt her in the long run?”

“Mummy, Itzel and I have talked about this, she agrees and has no problem with it. I really do not understand why you think it was necessary for you to broach the topic with me.” –Mycroft answered as if reciting a speech rehearsed one too many times; after all, that was what he repeated to himself every time the slightest of doubts surged into him; he was not hurting Itzel and he was not using Gregory – no, he was not, they all had an _agreement_ , they were all content with the way things were.

“I brought up the topic because _I have eyes,_ Mycroft… and because I have been in Itzel´s place; an omega may say he or she does not care, but the fact that his or her alpha takes a lover, well it kills something inside the omega.”

“I assure you…”

Siger realized Mycroft was not going to listen to him – so he raised his hand to signal Mycroft he should stop talking.

“No, Mycroft, no need to say anything. Itzel is not like me, she is stronger and you did not lie to her when you proposed… Just please make sure not to push her beyond her limits. Now we must return to the party, I am sure people are already starting to wonder where we left.”

And as if nothing of transcendence had been said, Siger Holmes extended his hand elegantly for his son to escort him to the ball room, where he played his part of the perfect host.

For his part, Mycroft mingled with the guests, making small talk – how much he hated that – while discretely looking for his omega. When he finally located her, he saw red. Who was that _boy_ she was with? Who does he think he is, making her smile that way and… no he would not dare… Yes, he did it, he was touching her shoulder, leaning into her space as if they were sharing confidences.

As calmly as he could, Mycroft approached them and placed a possessive arm around Itzel´s waist, while he directed an ice-cold look at the _boy._

“Mycroft, do you remember Paulo, Ambassador Coutinho’s son? – Itzel said, sensing Mycroft was in one of his alpha moods… Really, what was going on? Paulo was a nice and friendly teenager; they had met a few years back at an Ambassadorial dinner and Mycroft had never reacted like that towards him, she had thought it had to do with Paulo being a beta, not to mention he was practically a kid, but it seemed that Mycroft´s instincts were running high tonight, she wondered what he and Siger had talked about in the Library.

“Ah, yes of course… please excuse us, young man, but my omega and I are needed somewhere else” – and without waiting for an answer, Mycroft moved them away, dragging Itzel along, heading to a small room situated at one side of the ballroom; he needed to be alone with her.

As soon as they were alone, Itzel turned to Mycroft, she was furious.

“What is wrong with you? Don´t you trust me at all? Paulo is just a kid! I have been on friendly terms with him for a long time.”

“He was too close to you” – Mycroft growled.

“You are unbelievable, Mycroft. What do you think we were doing? Mmmh, tell me. Just because you went and took a lover, does not mean I will do the same”

“We talked about this; you agreed. I do not understand why you bring that up now” –Mycroft snapped.

“Really Mycroft? Like I had a say on it; asking me was a formality, we _all_ know that. Would you have stopped seeing Greg if I had told you I did not want you to have a lover?” Itzel asked exasperated.

“I have never forced you to agree with me or to do something you do not want to.”

“No, you don’t have to, because I am a good wife, I was taught what was expected of me and I always act accordingly. So convenient, right Mr. Holmes?”

“Itzel what has come over you?”

“What has come over me? What about you, Mycroft, and your possessiveness? It was flattering, but not anymore; I feel… trapped, I have found myself second-guessing every one of my moves, afraid that if I talk too long with someone or I smile too widely you will take it the wrong way. And that makes me so angry… it is not fair, I keep asking myself how can I… _live_ knowing you have a lover without making you petty jealousy scenes, while you, the strong alpha, the always cold and logical Holmes heir, throws a fit whenever I talk with someone outside our family circle.”

“Excuse me, dear wife, but I do not act in such a childish way as you say.”

“Yes you do!!! The others may not notice because they do not know you, but I have been living with you for three years now, I know all your little quirks and what each of them means; you may not lose control over your reactions, but I can tell when your emotions are running high.”

“Then don´t provoke me!!!” – Mycroft yelled, holding her by her upper arms and shaking her.

And just like that, Mycroft saw his omega disappear behind a cold façade.

“Careful, Mr. Holmes, if anyone saw you at his moment they would think I am a pressure point for you. Now let me go, and please make my excuses to Siger, suddenly I’ve got a terrible headache. I will be in MY room. Tomorrow morning, when it is time for us to leave, please send someone fetch me.”

Mycroft released his wife, noticing he had left marks on her otherwise perfect skin; his eyes widened in surprise.

“I am…”

“No, don’t Mycroft. You do not get to apologize, since you do not even understand how deeply you have hurt me, those marks are nothing. Good night and… Happy New Year, _dear husband._ ” – Itzel said coldly, holding her head high as she left the room.

 

*

 

Mycroft considered himself the guardian of their little Family, and yes, he was - when the threats came from the outside; but when they came from the inside, well… it was John´s responsibility to make sure that they did not implode; he had become quite the expert considering he had to deal with Sherlock daily. He loved his omega with all his heart, but his lack of social skills and his disregard for his personal wellbeing had John pulling him out of trouble almost every second of every day. So when John noticed the way Mycroft dragged Itzel out of the ball room, all the warning bells in his head started ringing.

He was sure no one had noticed anything amiss with the happy couple, but John knew them very well, and he was sure that trouble was heading their way… and he did not mean the kind of trouble that would disrupt the party, no; all the Holmes, including Itzel, were well trained so as not show any weaknesses in a sea of sharks as this party. No, he was worried because the trouble he saw coming would affect the balance of their family.

Luckily, when everything happened, Sherlock had been busy throwing a tantrum of his own; really, what was John supposed to do when Siger had all but ordered him to dance with Sherlock´s young cousin. Of course, Sherlock would not hear reasons, and he had gone out on the balcony and refused to come back in; so now John could keep an eye on the door and see when Mycroft and Itzel came back to the ballroom… _What the fuck!!!!_ John thought, realizing Mycroft had returned, but there was no Itzel.

As discretely as he could he approached Mycroft,

“Where is Itzel?”

“She was not feeling well, so she retired to her room” – Mycroft answered with no inflection on his voice, as if he was talking of the weather.

_Her room?!?!_ John wanted to yell, but he knew better than that, so he simply added.

“Do you want me to go check on her?”

“No, John, thank you; it is not necessary, I am sure she will be better tomorrow morning.”

“Are you sure?” – John inquired, raising an eyebrow because, hell yeah, he could also do it. – “You do realize your silence tells a lot right? Look, I am not sure what happened, I am guessing one of your little macho alpha scenes got a little bit out of hand, so listen to me carefully: if you do not want this blown out of proportion, go to your omega and apologize, like right now.” – John whispered furiously.

“She made it obvious she does not want to talk with me right now.”

“Really? Do you know your omega at all? Go talk to her; left alone when she is angry or hurt, that girl builds in her head the worst horror stories in which everyone is out for her blood. Go and fix it.”

“But…”

“GO.”

“Please John, make my excuses to Mummy.”

“Will do” – John answered exasperated – and once he was sure Mycroft had left the ballroom, he went to look for his own omega; after all, he would be a fool if he did not follow his own advice.


	26. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And this is how they make up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it!!! Got to update this week even if it was two days later than normal. Work is crazy and with holiday approaching I seem to have more things to do and less time to write. Anyway, thank you for all of those who are still out there reading.

**Chapter 25**

 

Itzel maintained her cold façade till she reached the bedroom Siger had decorated it for her since she had married Mycroft. She had never used it before, not even the weekend she had spent here while Mycroft was away with Greg. Before tonight, she had always used Mycroft´s room, but right now she just wanted to be as far away from her alpha as she could.

 _I provoke him? I provoke him? What a load of bullshit… -_  a furious Itzel thought while she took off her shoes and threw them on to the farthest wall, but before they reached their destination, the shoes landed on a low table and made a vase topple over and fall.

 _Oops!!! I broke a vase; it looked old, it could have been a family heirloom. Well, let's see how Mycroft explains **that** to Siger,_ Itzel thought, and stomping her feet like a 5-year-old, she went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She will not be sleeping any time soon, but it will be better to take off the dress and make-up and maybe even take a bath. Anything to keep herself occupied or she will end up smashing every breakable thing in the room like she had just done with that vase.

 

Once in the bathroom, she took a deep breath and started contorting herself in order to lower the sipper on her dress. _Argh!!! It is so unfair, even for this I need Mycroft_ , she told her reflection in the mirror. After a few tries, she could finally take off her dress, just to come face to face with the corset, panties, garter belt and stockings she had bought to surprise Mycroft today. _Fuck!! You are so stupid!!! What were you trying to prove? That you are more attractive than Greg? You know Mycroft is with him for other reasons, like the fact Greg is mature and intelligent and…_ She yelled once again to her reflection _. God, I am completely crazy for talking to my own image in the mirror…_ She whispered to herself sadly.

After taking a deep breath, she removed her make-up, she washed her face and returned to the bedroom. When she got to the room, she did not bother to turn on the lights, so now she simply turned on the night lamp on the bedside table and sighed sitting on the bed; she would not be able to take off the corset by herself, one of Siger´s maids had helped her lace it up, and as she had asked, she left it very tight. Nothing to do about it now, she will wait till they got home to ask Marianne help her out; she was certainly not going to ring for one of the maids, that would only give them more material to gossip.

 

She walked to the dresser and took off the panties, garter belt and stockings, dropping them carelessly; she will pick them up tomorrow, then she put on some plain cotton knickers and one of her granny nightgowns, as Mycroft called them.

Mycroft… he could go and hang himself for all she cared. She sat heavily on the couch in front of the unlit chimney and drew her legs up to place her chin on her knees, a position she could not keep for long since the corset started digging into her hips.

 _Wonderful, I can´t even sit as I like to sit_ , she said laying on the couch and staring at the ceiling as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. A position she could not keep for long either, since he laces started hurting her back.

 _Argh!!! This is just bloody annoying she yelled_ , turning on her belly and hiding her face on a cushion.

 

*

 

As soon as Mycroft was outside Itzel´s room, he could smell his omega´s pheromones; she was not only distressed, but completely furious. No wonder there were no servants around… At the ballroom and the rooms around it, the smell had not been noticeable, since Mummy had made sure to place the most sophisticated air conditioner, one that could neutralize the smell of pheromones, to avoid problems among the guests. But obviously that precaution had not been taken in the family wing…

Mycroft knocked as politely as he could, but after a few moments, not receiving an answer, he tried the handle and got in, since the door was not locked.

 

Itzel had heard Mycroft knock - and even if she hadn´t, she would have known he was outside her door, since she could smell him… there was regret, but Itzel was not sure if Mycroft really understood what he had done wrong, so she just ignored him.

Of course, Mycroft did not take the hint and got in the room anyway. Fine, he wanted to talk, she will give him the talk of his life. 

Once in the room, Mycroft approached Itzel and sat on the wing chair opposite the couch she was lying on. 

“Are you feeling well?” - he asked, noticing Itzel was lying in an awkward position.

“I am in perfect health, thank you for asking” - she said getting up and sitting in a perfect position, even the Queen would have approved. - “Is there something you wanted to discuss, Husband? I can order some tea if you would like?”

Mycroft raised an eyebrow at Itzel. 

“Do you really want to do this? You know I am better at it than you are.”

 

“Excuse me, Husband, but I do not understand your meaning. If there is nothing you want to talk about and you just wanted to ask about my wellbeing, I would really appreciate it if you left; as you see, I was about to go to bed.” - and Itzel got up, not noticing the way the light of the night lamp made her nightgown almost see-through.

Mycroft felt like grabbing her and tearing apart the nightgown, but he reigned on his impulses. 

“Please sit down, dear Wife, there is actually something I want to discuss with you.”

Itzel sat primly on the couch once again and reflecting an image of elegance and good manners that clashed with what Mycroft had been able to see through her nightgown, as well as with the underwear he had now discovered was laying carelessly near the dresser. He could not tell much what colour or material it was, since the light of the night lamp did not reach that corner of the room, but he was sure it was lingerie and not the usual simple and comfortable underwear his omega wore.

 

“Very well, Husband, I am listening to you” - Itzel finally said.

“I really hope so” - Mycroft said, not letting Itzel interrupt him - “I apologize for my behaviour regarding your interactions with other alphas and… betas. I realize I have let my possessive instincts go too far. We have reached a point where it would seem I have no respect or trust towards you, but let me assure you that is not the case. You have been nothing but a good wife to me, not to mention a loyal and caring partner. I have come to care about you more than I thought myself capable of, and I think that is the problem. I pride myself of not letting emotion lead my actions, but you have proved yourself an exception to that rule.”

“I am sorry for having altered your otherwise logical and ordered life. You are right, emotion has been leaking into our marriage - which, after all, is a business deal. Please let me know how we should proceed from now on, to remedy this and prevent future unnecessary shows of emotion.” - Itzel replied coldly, with false politeness, it hurt saying that, but she was so furious she did it without her voice breaking.

Mycroft felt like a real failure now; what was it about Itzel that he could not read her? Emotion… emotion clouded everything that had to do with her, and still he did not want to give her up, although he would not force her to keep their closeness if she did not want to. He realized this time he had gone too far; Mummy had warned him to not push Itzel beyond her limits, if only he were able to deduce where those limits stood…

“I did not mean we should change anything, I was just establishing the fact that when it comes to you I am not completely under control of my emotions and that wreaks havoc with my reactions.”

“Careful, Mr. Holmes, you just admitted to actually have emotions, not to mention you pointed out there are situations in which you have no control of them.” - Itzel laughed without humour and raised an eyebrow at Mycroft - “If you ask me, that was a bad move; it is obvious you just said that because you think that is what I want to hear.”

Mycroft wanted to sigh; he was so out of his depth right now; Itzel´s reaction was to be expected. After all, she had witnessed time and time again what a good liar he was, and how he manipulated people, but it hurt to realize his wife believed he would use those techniques on her.

“No lies or sugar coating the truth, dear wife, have you forgotten that?”

“No, but it seems you have; now tell me the truth Mycroft, what made you say I _provoke_ you? Why do you have such a low opinion of me? Is it because I am an omega with an average IQ? Or because I am so plain that the only resource I have to call for your attention is jealousy? Believe me, I may be an attention whore with daddy issues but being seen as a sex object is not the kind of attention I want.” - Itzel started her little speech in a collected, calm tone, but by the time she had finished, she was yelling and pointing a finger at Mycroft´s chest.

Mycroft took hold of her hand tightly and yelled back:

“I do not think that of you, but I know what those alphas think when they approach you!!! I may not be able to perceive their pheromones because I am not always near enough but I am sure…”

Itzel´s eyes widened at Mycroft´s words, and she said with venom:

“If you were trying to fix things by saying that, you once again fail. So you think that is the only reason someone would want to approach me? To fuck me?”

“I know how alphas think!!!”

“So you think of fucking every omega and beta you approach?”

“I am not like other alphas!!!”

“You could have fooled me.”

“Itzel, stop this nonsense, you are just putting words in my mouth and consciously misinterpreting my words.”

“Well _alpha,_ why don´t you make me stop, after all you have the power to do that, you just have to bite my bond mark and I will be the gracious puppet I always am.”

“You know I do not see you like that, I just told you, I care for you.”

“Maybe, but for you I am nothing but the damsel in distress who needs to be protected by you, since I am so stupid I can´t notice when someone is nice to me just to get into my knickers.”

“I don´t think that!!!”

“Of course you do, now it makes sense, that is why you _allow_ me to be friends with Greg, you are so sure he will never notice a little stupid omega like me when he has you, the amazing Mycroft Holmes.”

“Don´t bring Greg into this, he has nothing to do with what we are discussing now. I have no problems with you befriending him, because I know him, he is a decent and honourable alpha, he will never pursue a bonded omega.”

“No, he just goes after bonded alphas, it is safer”

“Itzel, stop it!!! You are saying things out of anger; you will regret it later.”

Itzel clenched her teeth and took a deep breath.

“This is obviously not working. I think… I think it would be best if we gave each other some space. When we get back home, I will move to my room; perhaps that will help us to sort things out, clear our system of the pheromones.”

“No. I will not let you run away from the problem; that is a bad habit you must break my dear wife.”

“So you do not only think I am stupid; you also think I am a coward.”

They were getting nowhere.

“No, I do not think you are stupid, I just think you are naïve at dealing with some persons, not because of lack of intelligence but rather lack of experience. And about you being a coward, aren´t we all? There are few people who actually stay and face things they do not want to face.”

“I don´t think I can keep doing this, Mycroft, worrying of what you will think when I talk with someone. It is tiring. Why can´t you trust me?”

 _I trust you!!! But you are mine, and I do not want anyone touching you or talking to you… I do not want anyone even looking at you,_ Mycroft thought, and this time he did not hold back his instincts and he pulled Itzel to him, making her sit astride his legs, lifting her nightgown and bunching it at her waist.

“What colour is it?” - he asked, trailing a hand down her back, over the laces of the corset, and pushing her down his lap so she could feel his arousal.

Itzel was surprised by Mycroft´s question, and then she realized he must have caught a glimpse of what she was wearing under the night gown when the light of the night lamp reflected on her. To be honest with herself, Mycroft´s attitude turned her on, despite her anger, so she tried to get up, but Mycroft´s hold on her was too strong. She could keep fighting, but that would not earn her anything, so she decided to play along until she found a way of getting away from Mycroft, she will not let her hormones take over. 

“It is hot pink with black details” - she answered turning her face to the side.

“I like you in hot pink, but I think you look better in red” - Mycroft observed.

That comment, joined with the pheromones that started to saturate the room, had Itzel blurting:

“I know… I just felt uncomfortable buying it in red.” - Itzel answered, blushing, - “The sales persons kept directing funny looks at me; I wanted to show them my wedding ring or my bond mark, so they would stop giggling and whispering among themselves. Not to mention Erik, my bodyguard, was there, it was embarrassing.”

“And still you bought it… for me.” - Mycroft said, pulling Itzel closer and scenting her.

“Who said I bought it for you? I bought it for me, I wanted to feel beautiful and sexy, this has nothing to do with you, not everything I do has to do with you.” - she yelled while pushing Mycroft away once more, but since she could not get free of his hold, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked to the side.

Mycroft took her chin between his fingers and made her look at him. 

“Itzel, I know you are your own person, I know there is more to you than just being a good wife, and I guess that was my point. I care for you, and I am not sure of how to handle that, because I realize you are a valuable person; any alpha or beta would be lucky to have you, anyone could… fall in love with you and offer you the kind of marriage you expected to have. But I cannot, I do not know how, what I feel for you; well it is already too much for me, I cannot offer you more.”

 

Itzel sighed deeply; she wanted to snap at Mycroft, ask him how come he could not feel more for her, but still he could direct some of his emotions and care for Greg, but she didn´t. Yes, she was a coward. She did not want to give up the little part of Mycroft´s heart that belonged to her, and that was what did it, realizing that made her forget about her anger. It hurt too much to think she will lose what she had; Mycroft had been right, she was so furious she had placed herself in a difficult position, what if Mycroft had accepted her proposition of having separate bedrooms?

“I am not asking for more, Mycroft and I am not leaving. I´ve told you that, I… care for you too, and I made a commitment to you. We have a good life; why should I risk that? I could never fall in love with someone else while we are still together.”, Itzel said, not realizing how her words would sound, but noticing her mistake almost immediately when Mycroft directed her a puzzled look.

“I mean, how can I fall in love with anyone, when you have placed the bar so high, proving to me love is over rated and that it does not guarantee happiness. You talk about the marriage I expected, well our marriage is so much better than I could have ever imagined, there is respect and trust and passion and care, well at least when you are not being a jealous caveman” - Itzel joked, trying to distract Mycroft from making deductions about her feelings for him. For a second, Mycroft thought Itzel had all, but declared she was in love with him, but…no, she had just explained what she meant with those words. Yes love was not for them, love would just ruin what they had.

“No, seriously” – Itzel continued – “I´ve met other omegas, omegas that got married out of love with alphas that swore they loved them too, but they end up alone and sad when their alphas just abandon them, when life becomes too...  _real_ and they can´t face their problems. I know that will not happen with you, I know I will always have your support and that you will take care of me, and at the best of my ability I want to provide you some kind of support too.”

 

 “And you do, you have given me a home, a safe haven where I can forget of all my responsibilities and the expectations placed on me, at least for a few hours, and I guess I fear to lose that, and so I react the way I do.”

“But you do realize there is nothing to fear right? That I will never betray you in such a way.”

“Yes I know, I do know that, but as the saying goes, it is not that I do not trust you, it is that I do not trust them.”

“Oh, my jealous alpha, I do not want them, any of them, and I am not that stupid you know? If any of them crossed the line between being friendly and trying to woo me, I would reject them and if even then they would not listen I am sure Erick will render them useless, so no need to get into full alpha mode. And so that your mind gets a little bit of rest, I will confide in you that Greg will be teaching me self-defence.”

“What?!?!”

“You heard me. It is a great idea, he did not want to at first, he thought you would take it badly, but I threatened him with asking Anthea to teach me, so he finally accepted.”

“Well, yes I can see the logic in that; Greg is the lesser of two evils.”

“Are you calling Anthea evil? I will tell her you said that, she will be thrilled”

“Please don´t; that woman is already too self-assured, I swear she would have already taken over my job if she did not think my work hours are too punishing, not to mention she does not like to deal with fools.”

As only answer Itzel smiled tenderly at her alpha; she was not angry anymore; she just could not stay angry at Mycroft, she loved him too much, and hearing him say he cared for her was so bitter-sweet that any other thoughts just fled her mind.

“I am truly sorry for the way I have behaved; I will try to reign in my impulses and believe me when I say that I do not think you provoke me or them in any way; it was just something I said in anger.”

“Good, you realize that. I know this will not change overnight, but I trust you, and I know you will try not to let your instincts get the best of you from now on, right?”

“Of course my dear wife, I will do my best, that is a promise. I trust you, and I know you are capable of dealing with unwanted attention, so I will respect you and not intervene in your interactions with others, unless you ask me to.”

“There he is, the intelligent and level-headed alpha I bonded with” - Itzel said, kissing Mycroft.

“May I?” - Mycroft said, lifting Itzel´s nightgown.

“Why ask, when you already took it off” - Itzel teased him, rubbing herself against her alpha.

“I want to see you with the whole ensemble” - Mycroft whispered, holding her waist tightly.

“Ok… then let me go pick up the rest of it.”

“Fine” - Mycroft sighed, placing her on the floor, but just after he kissed her breathless.

While Itzel went for her lingerie, Mycroft took of his clothes, leaving only his pants on and then he lay on the bed, watching his omega intently.

 

Itzel changed her cotton knickers for the silk panties near the dresser, but she took the garter belt and the stockings and neared the bed. Once she was sure his alpha had a good view of her, she put on the stockings slowly, then the garter belt; finally, she approached him.

“Help me?” - she whispered.

Mycroft leaned over and fastened the stockings to the garter belt, and once he was done, he pulled lightly the suspenders, so they would snap against Itzel´s thighs. Then he placed both his hands on her back and trailed them down the corset´s enjoying the way it fitted his omega´s body; he finally reached her ass cheeks and kneaded them forcefully.

“I like it” - he whispered against Itzel´s ear and then he scented her, rubbing his nose on her neck and finally licking her bondmark.

Itzel moaned, leaning on Mycroft, who took advantage of the moment to pull her on the bed with him, placing her over his body.

“You look really enticing in lingerie” - he said, rubbing his arousal against her core, feeling how wet she was, if there were a couple of cloth barriers between them.

“You… you said I am alluring even with my granny nightgowns” - Itzel gasped, she was almost lost to desire, but still she wanted to have a little friendly banter with her alpha.

“And it is true” - Mycroft answered trailing his hands along Itzel´s tights, loving the fell of the stockings over his omega´s skin.

“This is just different, a little bit more exciting, perhaps because it is something new.”

“Yes, new…” - Itzel repeated, not sure what they were talking about anymore, letting a whimper escape her lips when Mycroft pulled her down on him once again.

“Please, please my alpha…” Itzel groaned.

“Please what, my dear omega?” - Mycroft asked, mouthing one of Itzel´s nipples throw the corset.

There was not much she could feel because of the fabric of the corset, but right now she was hyper sensitive, and just the feeling of Mycroft´s warm breath, and the dampness created by his saliva was driving her crazy.

 “Please take me, my alpha” - Itzel breathed, locking her gaze with Mycroft.

He smiled lazily at her.

“Take of my pants.”

Itzel moved off Mycroft´s body and did as she was told; Mycroft lifted his hips to help her; still, Itzel took her time taking off the garment, caressing her alpha´s strong legs as she pulled down the pants. Once they were off, she just dropped them carelessly on the floor, finally turning to look at her alpha´s manhood, which was already completely hard and licking precum. She looked at it intently and licked her lips without noticing.

“You can have a taste if you want” - Mycroft teased.

Hearing that, Itzel turned to look at her alpha a little bit startled; she liked to suck her alpha, but she was a little bit shy about it, and it was not something they often did.

“Go on my omega, I want to feel that pretty mouth of yours around me.”

Itzel´s breathing became laboured, and she felt a blush cover her whole body, but she did as her alpha had asked; she started by licking the head like she would an ice cream and then she took it in her mouth and started sucking, while she used her tongue to tease its slit. She tried to breathe through her nose as calmly as she could and started to take more and more of her alpha’s cock in her mouth.

Mycroft moaned deeply, his omega had become better at this, he could not help to wonder how… He pulled at her hair, till she let go of his cock with a pop. She looked… edible, her hair was a mess, her lips were red and swollen and her corset was a little out of place, but it still hugged her waist emphasising it in an enticing way.

“Your technique has improved” - he said a little bit breathless.

“I… I have been practicing” - Itzel stammered, and when Mycroft raised an eyebrow at her, she added - “With a… a cucumber… I read it in a magazine”.

 “You are incredible my dear wife…” - and without waiting anymore he moved her panties to the side and pushed into her with one swift move; she was already too wet, so he could penetrate her without causing her any pain.

“Feel so full… so good…” - Itzel gasped, rubbing her chest against her alpha - “More, please more…” - she meowled, scratching his shoulders and back.

Mycroft smirked at her, while laying back on the bed, making sure that she stayed kneeling on the bed and that their connection did not break. Once he was comfortably settled on the bed, he held her by the waist.

“I would like to help you practice other things, so my dear wife you will ride me now, what do you think about that?” - Mycroft asked, smacking one of her ass cheeks.

“Yes my alpha” - she said closing her eyes.

“No, my sweet omega, open your eyes… yes that is it. Now up and down you go, just let yourself go…”

Itzel did as she was told; soon the pleasure was too much, and their pheromones just added to it, Itzel was so close… and by the way Mycroft was holding her waist and guiding her movements, she knew he was close too.

They came almost at the same time, and it was just glorious when Itzel felt Mycroft´s knot forming inside her. She let herself drop on Mycroft´s chest, savouring the moment.

Mycroft hugged her tenderly and positioned them so they could be laying comfortably together.

“Rest now my sweet omega, I will clean us up as soon as I can.”

“Go to sleep, Mycroft, we can bathe in the morning” - Itzel answered yawning and burrowing deeper into her alpha´s arms - “Just please loosen the laces of the corset.”

Mycroft smiled at his omega who was already half asleep, he did as she had asked and settled in bed, she was right, they could bathe in the morning.

Before drifting to sleep Mycroft said:

“Happy New Year, my dear Wife.”

“Happy New Year my dear Husband” - a sleepy Itzel replied.

 

*

 

“Sherlock, I brought you a scotch” - John said, handing a glass to Sherlock.

“Oh, you shouldn´t have bothered John, you looked so  _cheerful_  dancing with my big bosomed cousin, there was no reason for you to stop doing that.” - Sherlock answered coldly.

“Really, Sherlock? Dancing with your cousin was horrid, and if you were applying your deductive abilities instead of listening to the little green monster, you would have noticed that.” - John joked, hoping his temperamental omega would stop sulking.

“I must inform you that I do not suffer from hallucinations so I could not have possibly seen or heard a little green monster; on second thought, it was you who brought it up, so it must be you the one suffering from hallucinations; do the pheromones alter your brain?” - a righteous Sherlock stated.

“No, Sherlock, when people talk about the little green monster they are talking about jealousy, it is a metaphor or allegory or whatever the right term is. What I meant to say was that I did not enjoy dancing with your cousin, I just did it to be polite, and you could not see that was because you let jealousy corrupt your deductions!” - John huffed, in an attempt to hide the laughter that almost escaped him, Sherlock could be so cute when he was been annoying…

“I certainly did not…”

John interrupted Sherlock´s tirade pulling him into his arms and kissing him,

“Yes, you certainly let emotions cloud your judgement, but don´t worry my dear Sherlock, it only happens when it comes to me, and I promise I will not tell anyone.” - John whispered against Sherlock´s lips.

Sherlock pushed John a little, crossed his arms over his chest and pouted:

“Not fair, you are getting too good at observing.”

“As I have told you, I am learning from the best, and truth be told I am only good at observing you, so you can still amaze me deducting every person we come about.”

“Ok fine.” - Sherlock said rolling his eyes and then he added, “Are you finally taking me to our room? After all, Mycroft and Itzel have already left, why do we have to stay?”

“How do you know that if you have been here… no don´t answer probably it has something to do with the way I hold the glass of scotch which I handed it to you…” - John laughed shaking his head.

“Yes, John, the way you handed me the scotch… you are right, you are not that good at observing other people, not even yourself. Anyway, are we retiring for the night, or what?”

“Or what, Sherlock? We have to stay at least till midnight, since your brother is not here I am sure your parents will not let us escape; Siger must have already placed a couple of servants at the door to make sure we do not leave.”

“It is funny. Why can´t you say _no_ to Mummy?”

“I don´t know. Your  _Mummy_  is just scary.”

“I will tell Itzel you said that.”

“Hey!!! No, you will not tell her that. If you do, I will stop doing that thing you like me to do when we take baths together.”

“No!!! You would not dare, you like that very much too.”

“Well, I will stop doing it, so you better not inform Itzel that Siger kind-of scares me”

“Oh” - Sherlock exclaimed - “You are scared of Itzel too!!!”

“What?!?! No of course not. I…”.

“Yes you are; tell me John when did you notice you are scared of omegas? Has it something to do with your mother? Some kind of childhood trauma? No, don´t tell me, I will deduce it.”

“Sherlock no, you will not go there, I do not want to know, thank you very much. But you can´t deny me that both Siger and Itzel just know how to make you do things you do not want to do, what with their politeness and sweet smiles, it is just as effective as if they were placing a knife at your neck…”.

“Politeness and sweet smiles? Those two use open crude threats, they are the queens of blackmail, Itzel even made me help her chose her dress for her first date with Mycroft.”

“Oh, my poor Sherlock, I am sure that traumatized you.”

“But of course, I had to use my brain to deduce Mycroft´s likes, that was just a waste of precious neurons.”

“I bet it was, love. Come on, let’s dance; I hope that will help you forget of that horrible moment.”

“Fine, if we must…” - Sherlock said rolling his eyes, but before returning to the ballroom he stopped John. - “Dancing with me is not like dancing with my cousin, right?”

“Not at all love, dancing with you is glorious. I love you, Sherlock, with all my heart.”

“Good.”

“Ok, let’s go we will dance till midnight I will kiss you when the clock strikes twelve and then I will take you to our room, to take you” - John added biting Sherlock´s neck.

“John!!! Don´t do that now, it is distracting.”

John raised an eyebrow at Sherlock.

“Really? You shouldn´t have said that, now all I want to do is distract you.” - John joked, pulling his mate to the dance floor where they twirled around for a few moments.

“John?”

“Yes, love.”

“I do love you and I like when you distract me.”

“I know, love, and I promise I will thoroughly distract you when we are back at our room.”

“Thank you, John” - Sherlock whispered. He loved John very, very much, because he was decent and intelligent and really understood him. Sherlock enjoyed the physical part of their relationship, but he was not comfortable with public displays of affection; years of crude innuendos done by the older alphas of his family had left a mark on him, so he really appreciated the fact that John, despite being a very touch-feely person, refrained when they were in public.

 

*

 

Even if Mycroft had tried to remain asleep till morning, he could not; the moment his knot deflated, he woke up; the feeling of their fluids coming out was an unpleasant one for him who had an obsession with cleanliness. Since he was already awake, he got up and took a bath, bringing with him a wet towel to clean Itzel.

Once that was done, he changed the sheets, making sure not to wake his omega, and he even picked up their clothes that were strewn around the room. When he picked up his trousers, his cell-phone fell from the pocket - and that was when it hit him; the need to talk with Gregory… 5 days had passed since they last talked and they would not be meeting in another 4 days more…

It would be inappropriate to call him now; he would probably be with his family, celebrating, and if he called they could ask uncomfortable questions to Gregory… still, he could text him right? Friends texted each other in occasions like this.

Before his brain came back on-line and told him the 100 reasons why he should not text Gregory, he took his phone and composed a simple message.

< _Happy New Year, Gregory >_

He did not expect an immediate answer; he did not expect an answer at all, so when he heard the ping from his cellophane signalling an incoming message, he was very surprised.

< _Happy New Year, Myc. Loved the watch >_

Mycroft could not believe what he was reading, Gregory had opened his Xmas present… he did not say if he was going to wear it or not, but the fact he had opened it, it meant a lot to Mycroft, it meant Gregory was willing to take their relationship more seriously, it meant… It does not matter what it meant, he was a married man for crying out loud; Gregory was important to him yes, but he was only his lover, and it was unfair of Mycroft to expect Gregory to stay forever, still he hoped he would…

 


	27. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because it was not going to be that easy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update!!! Sorry I know it took me over a month, I hope after this it will not take me so long, although I do not promise weekly updates. Life is a little busy for me right now, work has been crazy not to mention all my house chores lol
> 
> Anyway, thank you for all your nice comments and kudos and special thanks to Krefftii and AnJoan Grey, you both are awesome!!!

**Chapter 26**

 

Nothing had changed, or that was what they wanted to believe, but the truth was that after what happened at the New Year´s Party, they had drifted apart. They had not changed anything in their routine; they would still meet for dinner whenever Mycroft´s work allowed it, they shared a bed and their sex life was, as always, satisfactory, but some of the familiarity they had enjoyed was missing. It was as if both of them were building walls around them to prevent the other from getting too close again.

Obviously, the reasons why each one had done that were different; Itzel was afraid of revealing Mycroft she was in love with him, while Mycroft was afraid of discovering he was indeed able to love.

Mycroft was brought up to be the perfect aristocrat, always lead by reason and logic, showing politeness to everyone around him and even care for his close family, as was his duty, but feelings… love, those were things he was taught to suppress from an early age.

Whenever he had shown a preference for some toy, pet or person, Father had made sure to take them away from him saying “Becoming dependent on _props_ is a weakness.” - and if Mycroft showed any sign of missing what had been taken from him, his Father would say “You do not need anyone or anything but  _yourself_ to live and fulfil your duties, no point in getting distracted.”

And so, from a young age, Mycroft came to the conclusion that caring was a disadvantage, it distracted him, not to mention it could be used by others to hurt or manipulate him.

Eliminating every emotion had been easy after that; when he became older, he convinced himself that if he learnt that lesson so well, it was because, to begin with, he lacked the ability to really _feel_. He was a _Holmes_ and a genius, his thought-processes were different from those of an average person, so as a result of that, he concluded he also processed emotions differently, in a more logical and orderly way, never falling into unnecessary sentimentalism or letting them grow beyond his control. He had achieved that by explaining to himself why each emotion was born, because... well, after all, he was human and emotions tend to arise in him, but when he analysed the situation and determined why the feeling had come to be, he could control it. 

For example, his care for Sherlock and Mummy was easy to explain, as the head of the house and an alpha, he had to look after his younger omega brother and his omega bearer, it was a feeling born from responsibility. He respected his Father because even if he lacked the same IQ as his sons, he had cunning and had taught Mycroft a lot. He respected and held some regard for John because not just anyone could deal with Sherlock.

Unfortunately, when it came to Itzel… things could get confusing. He cared for her, because it was his responsibility as her husband and alpha, but then his hormones played tricks with his mind and he felt jealousy and possessiveness and some kind of sickly sweet feeling that made him take rash decisions… Yes, it was better to keep an  _emotional_ distance, the way they had done since the New Year´s Party.

 

*

 

Once the holidays were over, Itzel arranged her schedule to make sure she would be at home as little as possible. There was nothing she could do to change her Uni timetable, but she made sure to enlist in as many extracurricular activities as she could. That, added to her practices at Uni and all the time she spent with the staff of the future omega centre, ensured her to have very valid reasons to be away from home.

The bright side about all that was that she was able to learn a lot about her profession; it was not enough to just learn form a book how to help people; you needed hands on experience to really do it. She even enlisted as a volunteer in a community centre; she loved spending time there with the toddlers, they were as cute as buttons and there was not a prejudiced bone in their bodies. Alphas, omegas, betas, they related equally, and even if nature and instincts did surface, it was always in a positive way.

She also had her self-defence lessons with Greg; as soon as she had settled with her new routine, they had set up a schedule to meet. They agreed to meet on Fridays at noon, since that was the time when Greg usually went to the gym. Itzel had no classes on Friday and her volunteer worked began at 5 o´clock, so that worked for both of them, and Mycroft had been most accommodating, making sure Itzel was allowed to get in NYS’s gym, even if it was reserved from members of the force. After the training, Greg and Itzel usually ate together, and when work permitted it, they would go out together, to the movies and once even to a public concert. Greg had been quite the sport by accompanying her, since the concert only featured omega pop singers, which obviously weren't his cup of tea.

She also started spending more time with Sherlock, Violet and her Father. Sherlock and Violet looked at her in a knowing way, but kept their comments to themselves and treated her as they always did. Her Father had not been as discrete, but after the first one hundred attempts of trying to find out why Itzel had suddenly decided to spend more time with him, he stopped asking.

Mr. Cedeño was no fool, and he had the experience of his own about relationships; he noticed that whatever had been growing between Mycroft and Itzel, had been severely damaged, and he hoped they found a way back to it; he was sure it would be brilliant if both of them just left their insecurities aside.

Itzel was not surprised by how _helpful and understanding_ Mycroft had been with the changes; it was obvious that he, as well as she, wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. They had lost the familiarity between them, there was no longer playful banter or quiet companionship. She no longer felt excited about dinnertime, thinking of all the things Mycroft and her would talk about; since they no longer talked about what they had done during the day or any meaningful topic they just talked about the weather… their marriage had become a barren arid thing.

 

*

 

Time flew by, and before Itzel realized, the semester was over, which also meant she was graduating, and instead of feeling happy of her achievements, the only thing she could think about was of finding an excuse to stay out of the house. There were no classes, practices or extracurricular activities now to distract her, and even her work as volunteer will only occupy about 4 hours of her mornings, leaving her afternoons free and the omega centre will not start functioning for another six months.

The day of her graduation came and went. Violet and her Father insisted on organizing a party for her, but she really was not in the mood, and they settled for a quiet family dinner.

Itzel had no recollection about what transpired during said dinner; she just went through the motions using all the teachings on etiquette and good manners drilled into her. The only thing she remembered was her Father mentioning to Mycroft that Itzel´s Grandfather had extended an invitation for them to visit him on his beach house in Mexico, now that she had graduated and had no other immediate obligations.

Mycroft had declined, saying that he had a lot of work, but he added that he was not averse to the idea of Itzel visiting her family in Mexico if she so wanted. And there it was, the  _out_ Itzel was hoping for; she needed the distance, she needed to get her ideas and feelings in order, or she would go crazy. She was so tired of pretending nothing had changed between Mycroft and her. She will miss sharing the night with him, but it was a small price to pay if that meant she could start feeling like herself once more, and stop being the empty shell she had become little by little since THE New Year´s Party, as she called it in her head.

And so it was agreed, she will visit her family for a few months and will return before her wedding anniversary. No one mentioned anything about how she will deal with her heats, because, as they all knew, she had gone through many of those without an alpha at her side.

 

*

 

“You are going away?”- Greg asked surprised, after hearing Itzel mention her trip as calmly as if she were just talking about buying a new pair of shoes.

“Yes for a few of months, my family back in Mexico have been asking me to visit them since I got married and I think it is a good moment now, since I just graduated and the Centre will not start functioning for another six months. You know, a little vacation before I start working.”- Itzel answered with a smile that did not fool Greg; he had come to know her and he had noticed things were not the same between Mycroft and Itzel.

“Ok, now tell me the real reason you are leaving… Is it because of me?”- things between Mycroft and he had not progressed or changed, not that he had expected that; after all, they had set clear and precise rules from the very beginning; the fact Greg had fallen in love with Mycroft was his fault and his alone.

“No, Greg, please don´t think that, no… I really like you and I think you are good for Mycroft.”- Itzel answered sincerely, because the state of her marriage was not Greg´s fault. Truthfully, it was no one’s fault, but hers, Sherlock warned her, and she did not listen, she pushed Mycroft´s boundaries in an attempt to have a “better” marriage and had ended up falling in love with him; and now if she did not want to have a hellish marriage all she could do was to re-establish and respect those boundaries, as painful as it was.

“Then?” - Greg asked rubbing his face.

“The truth? I need a little bit of distance. Get my feelings under control once more. Remember my place in Mycroft´s life and convince myself that it is enough.” - she answered sadly.

“He cares for you.” - Greg added with all certainty, because as much as Mycroft liked to believe, his reactions to Itzel were nothing but his hormones and instinct trying to get over him; Greg had realized some time ago that Mycroft´s feelings for Itzel ran much deeper than he dared believe. Many times he had thought of pointing that out to Mycroft, but he knew it will be of no help; Mycroft would just become more distant and colder towards Itzel in an attempt to bury his own feelings.

“I know, and that just hurts more… don´t you agree?” - Itzel said looking intently at Greg.

“When did you notice? I thought I was being discreet.” - Greg asked in a resigned voice, because really, he knew Itzel was very perceptive; of course she had realized Greg himself had fallen in love with Mycroft.

“Well, you know what they say, takes one to know one.” - she added with a shrug.

“You warned me, told me, Mycroft Holmes has a way of getting under your skin; I should have  _deduced_  you also meant he has a way of getting into one's heart.” - Greg shook his head, resigned.

“Please, take care of him, he tends to get absorbed by his work and forgets to eat and sleep regularly. You can even enlist the help of his assistant, Anthea; she is really nice, not to mention efficient when dealing with Mycroft´s stubbornness.”

“Yes… guess I´ll pass on that one. The truth is she makes me feel uncomfortable. She is on your team and… well, she has made it clear that even if you accept my presence, and even  _like_ me, she doesn't.”

“Oh, I am sorry, I will talk to her…”

“No, no need for that.”- Greg interrupted Itzel - “She is right, I shouldn't be a part of Mycroft´s life, I really shouldn't. Itzel, this is so fucked up… but every time I am about to make up my mind and leave, I just can´t…Please forgive me…” - Greg hugged her tightly, not sure is he was trying to comfort her or himself.

“There is nothing to forgive”- she said in a whisper - “I should be the one apologizing, I brought you into this mess. I was so selfish… I just wanted to keep Mycroft and I didn't think about your feelings… I love him so much and I do not want to lose him” - she added, preventing tears from escaping by sheer will power, even if she could not help her pheromones to revel how distressed she was, earning a few glances from other alphas at the restaurant.

“I understand how you feel, I love him too...” - hearing that, the only thing Itzel could do was burrow deeper into Greg´s arms.

 

*

 

“So, you are leaving for 3.5 months.” - Sherlock stated with a deadpan, not lifting his eyes from the microscope.

“Yes. I need to.” - Itzel answered her genius brother in law, because there was no point in lying to him.

“I told you this would happen” - he said in a neutral tone, not trying to reproach Itzel, simply stating a fact.

“Yes you did. What does it feel like, to be right all the time?”- Itzel said without rancour, remembering the time Sherlock told her she will fall in love with Mycroft and Mycroft will break her heart.

“Sometimes not as good as you may think” - he answered, finally turning to look at her.

“Yes I guess so… Why does it hurt so much?” - she inquired, even if she knew the answer; she was just trying to come to terms with how things were.

“Because he _cares_ for you, but you _love_ him.” - Sherlock answered with his usual bluntness.

“I couldn't help it, he is perfect, at least for me.”

“So, no asking me to take care of him?” - Sherlock asked in an attempt to change the topic about the “perfectness” of his brother, really, Itzel was blinded by love.

“No, I already asked Greg to do that.”

“I don´t understand how you and Lestrade have become such good… _friends._ ”

“Well, you know what they say, if you can´t defeat them, join them. After all, we are on the same boat.”

“Yes I've noticed.” - after a pause Sherlock added - “You are really going away for over 3 months?”

“Yes, that is the plan.”- Itzel answered patting the place beside her on the couch so Sherlock would join her.

The younger omega left his microscope and plopped besides Itzel.

“He will be lost without you.”

“Please, Mycroft doesn't need me... or anybody else for that matter…”. - Itzel moved over on the couch, so Sherlock could place his head on her lap, once that was done, she started playing with his dark curls distractedly. – “Will you come and visit me? Both you and John could come, it is a nice place to take a vacation. And before you ask, yes I am sure… seeing you won´t affect me in anyway, far from it.”

“You, sentimental beings, disconcert me.” - Sherlock said with a roll of his eyes.

“I know.” – Itzel laughed – “When should I be expecting you?”

“Don´t know, I will ask John.” -  a sleepy Sherlock answered.

“Ok.” – Itzel smiled tenderly; he was half asleep, so she waited for John to arrive home before leaving. Once the good doctor arrived, he took Sherlock into his arms and carried him to their bedroom. Itzel just waved silently at him and let herself out, she had a lot to pack…

 

*

 

It had been an uneventful and comfortable flight, but despite that, Itzel felt very tired; it was not physical, it was all emotional. As soon as she had stepped on the plane, she felt like she could finally stop pretending; there was no one there who knew her well enough to know how she was feeling.

Itzel had gotten to the airport alone. She had convinced her family to have breakfast together at Violet´s favourite restaurant and said their goodbyes there; even Greg had been invited and he had taken the time to stop by and wish her a nice trip. The reason she organized things like that was because she thought it would hurt less that way… and for once, she had been right.

Mycroft had left London a couple of days ago; he had to attend an important meeting somewhere in Eastern Europe, he hadn´t said much about it and she hadn´t asked for details. The relevant point was that her alpha will not be there to accompany her to the airport and see her off.

If her family had accompanied her to the airport, it would only have made her feel Mycroft’s absence more deeply.

Her Grandfather was there to receive her; they exchanged polite greetings and then he excused himself to go to the office, leaving her with a female alpha Itzel had met before; her name was Paulina Hoyos; she worked with Itzel´s Uncle and was held in high regard by both, her Grandfather and her Uncle.

Paulina was really nice; a few years ago there had been a scandal when she came out to her family, telling them she was not attracted to omegas and that she had an alpha partner. Obviously her family disowned her, but since she was a financial wiz, the Cedeño Family had adopted her in a way, not to mention that - by doing that, her family had earned a lot of free positive publicity. Still, even if everybody knew that, it was a topic that was never brought up in _polite company_.

Paulina took Itzel to the Cedeño´s beach house and informed Itzel that her Grandfather and Uncle had appointed her, Paulina, as Itzel´s escort for the duration of her visit. Itzel thought it was only logical, it was obvious her Family will not let her wonder around alone, it was just inconceivable for them that an omega would go out unaccompanied. Itzel thanked Paulina, she told her she will not be leaving the house now seeing as she was really tired, and they exchanged telephones to be in touch.

By the time her conversation with Paulina had ended, the house staff had already unpacked her clothes, so after taking a bath and ordering a light dinner in her room she called Mycroft. 

“Hello, I thought I should call you and let you know I am already at my relatives’ house.”

“Thank you my dear, please give them my greetings and tell them how sorry I am I couldn´t accompany you.”

“Of course. So what are you doing right now?”

“I am working my dear wife, what else.” – Mycroft said in a cold and distracted voice, he was obviously busy...

Itzel felt like a fool, as if Mycroft did not know she had arrived, surely the man appointed as her bodyguard would have made a full report of her arrival. 

“Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. God, I didn't even think about the time difference.”

“Don´t worry, enjoy your vacation. I will call you if the need arises, as you pointed out the time difference won't allow for frequent communication.”

“Fine, as you wish. See you in a few months Mr. Holmes. Don’t work too hard.”

“Goodbye, my dear wife.”

“Bye...” - Itzel dropped her phone on the bed; she was so tired... the distance will do her good, it will make it easier to forget Mycroft, right? Well, at least she would not be under surveillance 24/7 like back home; Mycroft had told her that for these months her Grandfather will be the one in charge of her, and she knew her Grandfather wasn't as obsessive as Mycroft when it came to taking care of the family members.

What she did not know was that Mycroft had made arrangements of his own. Out of politeness he had said that as long as Itzel was with her family in Mexico he will trust the older Mr. Cedeño with her security, but that was far from true; there was literally a small army of men and women looking after Itzel; they had to make daily reports of the comings and goings of the young Mrs. Holmes and they had orders to contact Anthea immediately if there was an emergency.

This was going to be a nightmare, Anthea was sure of that, Itzel hadn´t been in Mexico for more than a couple of hours and her email was already full with reports and pictures of the young omega. Mr. Holmes had been very specific when he said he wanted to know what Itzel was doing... _minute by minute_.


	28. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Nile" is more than a river in Egypt...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY!!!! I know I have become terrible at updating thin, thank you so much to everybody who is still interested in this story.
> 
> Special thanks to AnJoan and Krefftii!!! You both are awesome.
> 
> There are a few sentences in Spanish in this chapter, the translations are at the end I also mention a singer Juan Gabriel, he is a Mexican singer song/writer who just died his songs are a must in many many Latin American households, his lyrics are full of sentiment and are ideal to listen to when you are healing from a broken heart. This is for him, hope he is happy wherever he is.

**Chapter 27**

Mycroft could have arranged for his meeting in Easter Europe to take place after Itzel’s departure, but he thought it would be best to forgo the whole sentimental episode. Knowing Mummy and Sherlock, they would try to make a big thing out of it, which it was not, Itzel will only be gone for a few months, it was not like they will never see her again.

Besides, he was sure Mr. Cedeño would have tried to have a few words with him in private; he had noticed the way he looked at them. He really did not understand what was the problem. Itzel and he had an arranged marriage, why did it surprise Mr. Cedeño if things were a little... cold between them. Yes, it was true, things had been different for the firsts couple of years of their marriage, but even those who got married out of love become distant in time.

Still, Mycroft could not lie to himself; it did not feel right to come to an empty house, and his bed seemed bigger and colder than ever... damn hormones. It was so frustrating to have the physical need to feel Itzel´s warm body besides him... No, he was stronger than that, his mind will find a way to deal with it. Anyway, he will make sure that any research that would lead to the development of the right drugs to supress the hormones that made an alpha so protective of his omega would be handsomely funded.

Anyway, Itzel had just been gone for a few days; he was sure that by the end of the week, his body would get used to her not being here. Yes, pheromones were like a drug, once he was cleansed from them, he would be his normal self again… and when Itzel returned they will talk about having separate rooms. Mycroft could not afford the distraction, so if he weaned himself from her pheromones, the best would be to stay that way.

*

“You should try to eat something at least.” - Greg said taking a sip of his beer.

“Excuse me?” - Mycroft said with his haughtiest voice; once Greg had never heard directed at him.

Greg sighed.

“You haven´t eaten anything, you just have been pushing your food with your fork.”

“I am not hungry.” – Mycroft said with his usual calm demeanour, which did not fool Greg.

“Really? I bet you only had tea and toast for breakfast, and then some tea at midday. Mycroft, you have to eat.” – Greg insisted although he took care of not to sound too pushy, not wanting to incite Mycroft´s ire. This was the first time they met since Itzel had gone, and it had taken Greg just a few second to realize Mycroft was a bit not good… he looked tired and snappish, which Greg had come to recognize as a sign that he had not eaten well.

“I said I am not hungry, Gregory. I am not a child, for fuck’s sake, you sound just like…” - Mycroft interrupted himself mid-sentence, what was wrong with him? Lately he had noticed that the slightest thing made him think of Itzel and so far, he had counted 10 times in which he almost brought up her name in a conversation; this being the tenth time and the most obvious one, considering who he was talking to.

“It is OK, you know, you can name her in front of me, I won´t take offense, I can understand that you miss her.” – Greg said nonchalantly.

“I do not.” - Mycroft answered as casually as if Greg had asked him if the wanted more tea, but the older alpha noticed the way Mycroft had tightened his hold on his fork, even if it was for a fraction of a second.

“YES YOU DO, MYCROFT!!” – Greg yelled exasperated – “Why haven´t you called her? Why don´t you tell her you want her to come home? It´s only been a week and look at the state you are, if she stays as long as she has planned I am afraid you will get sick.”

“I don´t need her to come back before the established date. Yes, my _hormones_ have been playing a little bit of havoc in my wellbeing, but I have it under control, I am not a mindless alpha controlled by his nature.” - Mycroft said between clenched teeth.

Greg shook his head.

“She was right. The first time I met her, she told me you like to think you have no weaknesses.”

This was supposed to be a night for him to enjoy, to leave behind the stress he had accumulated, but his lover felt it was necessary to bring up his wife; he really did not have to stand this.

“Well Gregory, it has been a lovely evening, but I really have to go.” - Mycroft said getting up without finishing his dinner.

Greg rolled his eyes, if Sherlock had been in the room he would have been either very proud or very jealous of the way Mycroft had mastered petulance.

“Fine, as you wish, but before you go, make me a favour… Say her name.”

“I do not know what you want to prove, Gregory, or what kind of game you are playing at, but it is really tiresome. Good night.” - Mycroft said once again in a calm, cold voice, which made him proud, he had lost control for a few moments, but he had managed to reign over his instincts; really, he could not wait for the moment when he was completely rid of the influence of Itzel´s pheromones, he would have to ask the staff once again to clean his room, or maybe he should change the mattress…

Greg could see Mycroft´s big brain working overtime to come up with a satisfactory reason of why he was missing Itzel, but he was determined to make Mycroft realize that the only explanation was that he cared for his omega. BLODDY HELL!!! Why did Mycroft have to look for an explanation for his feelings toward Itzel. The older Holmes may be a genius, but he was a complete idiot when it came to matters of the heart. Without getting up or turning his eyes fromhis dinner, Greg taunted his lover – “Just say her name, Mycroft, say Itzel.”

Mycroft growled, he launched at Greg taking him off he chair and pinning him against the wall by the neck. How dare he, how dare he say the name of his omega…When Mycroft realized what he was doing, he backed up, looking Gregory intently, trying to make sure he had not caused any severe damage to him.

Greg placed his hands on his knees and once he regained his breath he turned angry eyes to Mycroft – “I just said her name, I don´t want to be in the shoes of the poor bastard chosen by her family to escort her during her little trip.”

After that, Mycroft left slamming the door and if that night he slept hugging Itzel´s pillow, no one had to know it.

*

Since she had arrived to Mexico, Itzel had not got out of her family´s house, she spent her time lounging around the pool or reading in the library; she just did not feel like socializing. She knew this could not go on for longer, her family had accepted the excuse that she was tired for the first week, but if she did not agree to assist at some of the events she had been invited to next week, they will begin asking questions, and she would not be able to stand that; fortunately, John and Sherlock will be spending a few days with her next week.

“Hi!” – Paulina said sitting by her side. The alpha was wearing a very nice bikini and dipped her legs in the pool, just like Itzel was doing.

“Hello.” – Itzel answered, smiling a little tightly, Paulina was nice, but Itzel was not in the mood to be around people.

“Your grandfather is here.” - Paulina stated after a few minutes of silence.

Itzel sighed, getting up to sit on one of the couches placed around the pool; Paulina followed her, grabbing a towel from a near bay chair and handing it to Itzel.

The young omega took the towel with a smile and nodded her thanks to Paulina.

“I know Grandfather is here, I saw his car getting in the garage”.

“He came to talk to you.” - Paulina said looking at the sunset.

Itzel sighed once again, but this time she stayed where she was; her situation wasn´t Paulina’s fault.

“He came to ask me the same question, again. He wants to know why my alpha isn´t here. What I am supposed to tell him? Nothing has changed from the last time he was here, which was only a couple of days ago.”

Paulina bumped her shoulder with Itzel’s playfully.

“Well, you can just give him the same answer.”

Itzel laughed and said in an affected voice:

“Sorry, Grandfather, but as I told you just the day before yesterday, my alpha is too busy with his work.” - Itzel rolled her eyes. - “It is so obvious Grandfather does not know Mycroft. If he did, he would stop asking.”

“I guess he thinks you have some influence over your alpha.” - Paulina said with a shrug.

“Yeah, right. Grandfather hated that mum had the ability to make Father do whatever she wanted, but somehow he expected me to inherit that particular trait. We humans can be so illogical right?”

“Yes.” – Paulina said with a faraway look. – “Before your marriage with Holmes, your Grandfather tried to convince me of bonding with you. He said he knew of my preferences, but since your fertility was compromised, no one would be surprised if you became pregnant through in-vitro fertilization. We would just have to go through the wedding night together, and pointed out how it is seen as normal for the alpha to take lovers …”.

Itzel´s eyes grew wide.

“God!!! We are really something aren´t we?”

“Every family is dysfunctional in its own way, you shouldn´t be so surprised.” - Paulina just said calmly.

“I guess… still. You know what they say, my problems are bigger than yours because they are mine.”

“And what are those big problems of yours? And I don´t mean the ones with your family, I mean the ones that made you leave your home. Is your alpha… Does your alpha mistreat you?”

“Mycroft? God no!!! He is a complete gentleman; he would never ever do anything to hurt me. He is wonderful… really wonderful.” - Itzel ended her sentence in a whisper, fighting the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

“So why are you here?” - Paulina asked in a soft voice.

“Because I wish he thought of me as wonderful too.” - and this time she could not help to break down and cry. Paulina hugged her with tenderness, trying to comfort her.

“You ARE wonderful.”

Itzel rolled her eyes at Paulina´s comment.

“Thank you... you do not know Mycroft...”

“So nobody knows Mycroft but you, right?”

Itzel turned to look at Paulina with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Well you said your grandfather doesn´t know him, and now you say the same thing to me. I will tell you something, no, I do not know your alpha, but I am an alpha and well... we are brought up in a different way. We are expected to be logical and strong and emotionless... It is difficult to defy that, especially when you are the heir of your family. So this alpha… if he is as wonderful and intelligent as you say, he realizes you are wonderful, even if he would die first rather than admit it.”

“I am in love with him.”

“Ah... so that is the problem. Have you told him that? No, of course you haven´t... Love is a tricky thing; it gives you strength but at the same time it can kill you. You aren´t weak, Itzel, no matter what you think about yourself.”

“You don´t know me.”

Paulina sighed.

“You aren´t. I can see that. This alpha, he is lucky to have you, and I am sure he knows that. Yes, I confess it, I have read your file, your Grandfather gave it to me, you know he keeps an eye on every member of the family, and you know it.”

 Itzel shrugged dejectedly at Paulina’s words, when the alpha was sure the omega will not interrupt, she continued.

“So your alpha treats you like his wife, not as a trophy. He goes to great lengths to make you happy, he gets involved in your life, that is so much more than your omega cousins have. I will not lie to you, maybe your alpha will never get to feel for you what you feel for him, but the fault is not on you, and really not even on him. He, like many other alphas is the result of our way of life, of the twisted education we get. You hear the same lies over and over again, and one day you believe them.”

“I know, I know, I know... still... I guess I needed a little space... to come to terms with that. We had a couple of great years... I almost confessed to him what I feel, but then I got scared of his reaction and I... I pushed him away... Now I do not know what I want, to keep the distance between us or try to go back to what we had...”

“Well, you do not have to decide that yet, you have a few more months here, so enjoy them, ok?

“Okay…”

“Well then, Miss Cedeño, then go and get changed, we are going out.”

“What?”

“You heard me, you need a couple of drinks and to listen and sing some sad love songs.”

“You are talking about _pistear,_ aren´t you?”

“Yeah, exactly that. Tú y yo vamos a ir a pistear, no hay mejor cura para un amor no correspondido que tomarse unas copas y cantar canciones de dolor y contra de ellos.”(1)

“I am an omega... my Grandfather will flip if he finds out I went to _pistear,_ not to mention I never drink. _”_

“He will not find out, trust me. And you do not have to drink a lot, just one, I will drink the rest.”

“You also need to drown some heartache?” - Itzel teased Paulina.

“Don´t we all?” - the alpha answered seriously.

“Oh, I am sorry, I had no idea, and here I am babbling about...”

Paulina interrupted Itzel by hugging her as she would her younger sister.

“Don´t worry, I should have seen it coming. The worst part is that my Father was right, my partner was not really in love with me... he was more enamoured with the idea of me one day becoming head of my family. When he realized my Father will not back off, and that his decision of disowning me was definite, my partner left.”

“Ok, let’s go. But promise me we will listen to some of Juan Gabriel´s songs or I refuse to come” - Itzel joked, trying to lighten the mode.

“You bet we will. I will sing ‘Yo no naci para amar’ (2) and you will sing ‘La diferencia’ (3)”

“Deal”.

That night Itzel got drunk for the first time in her life, how cliché! Getting drunk because her alpha didn´t love her... When had her life turned into a soap opera? The hell!!! this was over, so over she was taking back control over her life...

*

Anthea hated Fridays; for some reason they were always the worst days at work. She was not a superstitious person, but she began believing there was some kind of jinx on them. Why did every other division have nice calm Fridays? For them, it was normally on Fridays when Mr. Holmes’ temper exploded; perhaps it had to do with the fact that most of the heads of the other divisions did not work on Fridays, they used that day to socialize.

This Friday proved to be the worst of history so far…

“When were these pictures taken Anthea?” - Mr. Holmes asked in a tight voice while going through the files sent by Itzel´s surveillance group from Mexico.

“Yesterday, Sir.”

“Have you seen them?”

“No sir, as per your instructions, the reports and pictures from your wife surveillance are for your eyes only.”

“I need you to make a check-up on Miss Paulina Hoyos, I want to know everything about her and I expect to have the information on my desk in the next hour. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sir.” - Anthea said in a professional voice, although what he really wanted to do was stomp her feet like a little girl. There was no way they could have the report on time, considering Mr. Holmes had 3 very important meetings today and the staff was already handling too much… yes it will be a hellish Friday.

*

The morning after the night out with Paulina was horrible. Why did people get drunk if this is how they felt next day? God, she did not want to see an alcoholic drink in her life ever again. Although it had been cathartic in a way... she hadn´t cried so much in her life, and she was sure she had babbled all her deepest, darkest secrets, it was a good thing she could trust Paulina.

After that day, Itzel felt a lot better. So Mycroft did not love her, he probably never will... that did not mean they had to have a horrible life... She will try to get close to him once again, rebuild their home, she owed that to herself and to her future children.

The next days after her outing with Paulina, Itzel attended several social functions organized by her family; they were as dull as watching paint dry, but Paulina was always with her, so it was not that terrible. Whenever there was an opportunity they would whisper things to one another, trying to make the other laugh at the most inopportune moments. Paulina teased Itzel about her “drinking habits”, while Itzel joked about Paulina being a glorified and over-payed omegasitter.

The day Sherlock and John arrived to Mexico, Itzel went to pick them up at the airport, accompanied by Paulina. In true Sherlock fashion, his omega friend ignored Paulina completely; Itzel had talked to her about Sherlock and his usual antics, so the alpha wasn´t offended.

Once they were at the Cedeño´s house, Paulina excused herself and left the friends alone. But after meeting Sherlock, she could not help but wonder the kind of person Mycroft Holmes was, they were brothers after all.

“Who was that alpha?” - Sherlock asked Itzel while she helped them unpack.

“That was Paulina, she is a family friend, she is really nice. She has been escorting me since I arrived.” - Itzel said, even if she had already made the proper introductions at the airport.

“She is attractive.” - Sherlock stated.

“What are you talking about Sherlock?” - Itzel asked a little bit annoyed.

“Nothing.” - Sherlock answered, waving his hand dismissively. - “So how many times a day does my dear brother call you to make sure you are safe and sound?”

“None. He hasn´t called me since I´ve been here, we agreed he wouldn´t call unless it was necessary. I am with Family, so no need to check on my wellbeing.”

“You agreed on that, both of you?” - Sherlock asked directing a piercing look at Itzel.

“Yes.” - she answered coldly

“You have been here for two weeks, and my brother hasn´t deemed it necessary to call you, not once?” - Sherlock insisted.

“NO SHERLOCK, NOT ONCE.” - Itzel yelled angrily at Sherlock, but her bad mood deflated immediately. - “Sorry, I shouldn´t have snapped at you. Please, I don´t want to talk about that.”

“Are you sure you want us here?” - John asked, he had been in the bathroom, placing there their toiletries.

“Yes John, please, I am sorry, it will be great having you here, just let’s not talk about my husband, please.”

“Oh!!” - Sherlock exclaimed placing his hands over his mouth, like he did whenever he solved a puzzle.

“What is it Sherlock?” - John asked with tenderness to his mate, after all these years he still found it wonderful whenever his Sherlock deduced something.

“She isn´t attracted to omegas.” - Sherlock declared.

“Who are you talking about Sherlock?” John asked confused.

“About Paulina, do keep up John. So that is why your family chose her to be your escort.”

“Yes, they like to pretend they are open and accept everybody, so they have welcomed Paulina with open arms, although I am not sure how they would treat her if she was part of the Family, probably not so warmly.”

“And why is that relevant? As if you didn´t know Itzel, she would never cheat on Mycroft.” - John added.

“No, but Itzel could try to get his attention using another alpha to make my brother´s possessive instincts flare to life.” - Sherlock told John, turning his back to Itzel as if she weren´t in the room.

“Itzel is here, you know.” - she said, making Sherlock and John turn to look at her. “And no, I would never use Paulina or any other alpha in that way; the little I could gain of that wouldn´t be worth the risks. Besides, to play the _jealousy game_ , Mycroft should have to be here, and he isn´t.” - Itzel stated, turning to place the suitcases in the closet.

“I wouldn´t be so sure.” - Sherlock whispered.

“Sherlock!!!” - John whispered urgently pulling his mate to a corner of the room, since he did not want Itzel to here this conversation.

“What, don´t tell me you didn´t notice the surveillance.” - Sherlock mumbled.

“I did, but I don´t think Itzel knows, or wants to know, so please let’s keep that between us.”

“Fine.”

Itzel was used to those two having private conversation in front of her, so she did not bother asking them what they were talking about. After all, it would not take a genius to figure out they were talking about her, or at least Sherlock was, while John was trying to convince him to not say out loud whatever it was her dear brother-in-law had deduced.

*

The week Sherlock and John spent at the Cedeño´s house flew by too quickly for Itzel; luckily, she had gotten them out of any social gatherings, and she had been able to show them around the places she remembered of her childhood, and they had visited new places Paulina had recommended.

But now they were gone; she had no excuse to avoid the many parties her family organized, so she was very happy and relieved when during one of those parties the butler told her she had a phone call from London. It could not be Mycroft, that was for sure, but she thought maybe it was Sherlock, and even if the phone call wasn´t long she could use it as an excuse to sneak back to her room, she will make her excuses in the morning.

“Hello?” - a male voice said as soon as she picked up the phone.

“Hello, Greg? Why are you calling me? Is Mycroft ok?” - she asked worriedly.

Greg exhaled a long breath, leave it to Itzel to guess why he was calling...

“No, he is not, he is a complete mess.”

“What happened?” - Itzel said, not knowing what to think, her guess was that Mycroft had not eaten properly and maybe he had had some kind of decompensation, she certainly was not expecting to hear what Greg said next.

“He misses you, he misses you more than he thinks, and even if he acts as nothing is wrong, well, I´ve come to know him, and I can see he is about to snap, I am afraid what will happen if you don´t come back soon.”

Itzel hold tightly the phone.

“He hasn´t called me since I got here.”

“He has you under surveillance.”

“What? But he said to my Grandfather...”

“Listen to me Itzel, a few days ago he and his PA were here because of a case, and his PA _accidentally_ left a file that had nothing to do with the case. It had daily reports and photographs of you. Imagine Mycroft´s state of mind if he didn´t notice the extra file I received. The reports are very detailed and they emphasise you are never alone, there is always another woman, who, according to the reports is an _unmated_ alpha.”

“Paulina? But she is only a friend, besides, she isn´t interested in me.”

“How can you be so sure about that? The pictures show you are really close.”

“Oh for God’s sake, not you too!!! Sherlock pointed that out too... Paulina and I have become friends and believe me, she isn´t into me.”

“Once again, how can you be so sure? Really, Itzel, I don´t know if you are being humble or just playing dumb, or digging for compliments or…worst.” - Greg said beginning to lose his temper.

“I am friends with you, and you are an alpha.” - Itzel countered using a tone as if she were talking to a small child.

“What do you mean?” - Greg snapped.

“Oh, Greg, there is not much I can say, it is not my place to talk about Paulina´s life, and if you don´t get it, you deserve every insult Sherlock has thrown your way.” - Itzel answered exasperated.

“You mean, Paulina, she… Ok, but to make it clear, if I didn´t get it as quickly as you expected is because I am attracted to both, alphas and omegas, so you know.”

“Really?” - Itzel said surprised - “I thought you… Well never mind. So Mycroft´s instincts are trying to get out of control… Fine, I will be back this week, don´t want to be the cause for WWIII” - Itzel sighed.

“I am sorry… Are you ok? You know, to come back?” - Greg added, suddenly realizing that maybe he was asking too much from the young omega.

“As ok as I´ll ever be... I told you, I just needed a little bit of distance, let go of my silly hopes and remember that Mycroft cares about me because he is a good alpha, and that is all… I´ll call him and tell him I will be coming back sooner than I expected. I will let you know when I am arriving. Will you go pick me up at the airport, please? I don´t feel like riding alone on one of the _British Government´s_ black cars.”

“Sure.” - was all Greg said, after all they both knew Mycroft wouldn´t be picking up Itzel at the airport, no point in mentioning it.

“Thank you, see you soon.”

“See you soon love, take care until then.”

“I will, don´t worry Greg and please keep an eye on our alpha until I get there.”

“You bet I will, conflicts in the Middle East always turn traffic into a bloody pain”.

“You are silly.”

“But you like me.”

“Yes I do, I really do. See you Greg”.

*

Once Itzel hung up, she dialled Mycroft, there was no point in postponing this call.

“Hello Mycroft, how are you?”

“Itzel, is there a problem?” - Mycroft said in his usual calm voice, and if he had accidentally spilled ink on some very important papers, no one had to know.

“No, not at all, I just decided to return home sooner, it has been nice visiting my family, but it is getting a little boring, especially after the days Sherlock and John spent here, you know?”

“Very well. Please call Anthea and inform her of your change of plans so she can schedule your flight as well as a car to pick you up at the airport.”

“Yes, I will thank you, and no need for a car, Greg will pick me up, I already asked him, and he said yes.”

“As you wish my dear wife, see you soon then.” - Mycroft answered, not letting show how annoyed he was at the fact that HIS omega had informed Greg of her plans before she told him.

“Yes Mr. Holmes, see you soon. Don´t work too hard.”

*

“I am going back home in a few days” - Itzel said to Paulina.

“Yes, I heard, your Grandfather mentioned it.”

“Was he furious when he said it?”

“No, not furious, just upset, it seems he really wanted to talk to your alpha in person”.

“Good luck with that.”

“Will you be ok?”

“I don´t know, I will try my best though. Will you come and visit me sometime?”

“Ok, I may be suffering from broken heart but I am not suicidal, your alpha will surely tear me to pieces before I get 10 steps close to you.”

Itzel laughed.

“Maybe, maybe not... You never know with Mycroft...Anyway, stay in touch ,- ok?”

“I will, don´t worry. I promise to visit you when you have your first child”.

“I will hold you to that”

“Yes. Take care. Goodbye Itzel.”

“Goodbye Paulina. May the saddest days of your future be like the happiest days of your past.”

“Thank you. I wish the same to you” Paulina answered smiling at Itzel and hugging her tightly.

*

“Hello!!!” - Itzel exclaimed hugging Greg tightly, she could not believe how much she had missed him.

“Hi, you look really good, all golden.” - Greg said admiring Itzel, before he averted his eyes beating himself up. What was he doing checking up Itzel, that was so wrong in so many levels.

“Thanks!!! It is great not having the same colouring as a dead chicken” - Itzel answered oblivious of Greg´s behaviour. - “God, I missed London!!! How have you been?”

“Good, good” - Greg answered, clearing his throat. “Come I´ll take you home, bet you are tired.”

“Yes, oh, I brought you a present.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, lots and lots of coffee, from different parts of my country, you will love every mix.”

“Can´t wait to taste them.”

“I am hungry, would you mind having an early lunch with me, we could have any kind of fast food you want.”

“Ok, so fish and chips? So you really feel like you are back home?”

“Yes I do. That sounds great!!!”

*

“She has arrived sir, and D.I, Lestrade is taking her for an early lunch and then home”

“Thank you Anthea, please follow them and make sure they get home safely.”

“Of course, Sir”

Anthea knew, without asking, that her orders were not only to make sure that D.I. Lestrade dropped Mrs. Holmes at her house, but also that the alpha got to his own apartment without problems. Mr. Holmes was very protective of those two.

*

She was back…Mycroft hung up and kept looking at his phone like it would give him an answer of what to do…He was not ready to see her again, he still feel the need to be near her, and if he had been a weaker man he would have left work and go to the house to welcome her…but he would never do something like that. His priority was his work, everything else were just distractions.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> 1.- You and I are going to pistear. There is no better cure for unrequited love is to have a few drinks and listen and sing songs of pain and against alphas.  
> 2.- "I was not born to love" link for this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T28uaSmTiq4  
> 3.- "The difference", link for this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veUnoqw-ArQ&index=7&list=RDT28uaSmTiq4


	29. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And some kind of balance is restored...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After weeks of crazyness at work, I finally got to finish this chapter, I want to thank Krefftii and AnJoan for their support and for cheering me up to keep writting it; both of your opinions mean a lot to me.
> 
> So hope you enjoy this!!! and I promise to update more regularly from now on.
> 
> Thank you to all of you out there who read this, and if you are willing, drop a comment :-)

**Chapter 28**

Greg got the fish and chips for them and then drove to a park near Itzel´s house so they could sit on a bench and eat their lunch.

“So, how was your vacation love?” he asked, pensively.

“Enlightening…”

“Really?”

“Yes… I realized I want my husband back… it does not matter if he never gets to love me. We were happy and we had a home… a real home,” Itzel said wistfully.

“I understand. I will break things off with Mycroft. We…”

“Oh, no, no, Greg!” Itzel interrupted him. “I did not mean that. You and Mycroft... you make sense and for some reason your relationship with him… it makes our marriage better… Does that sound as strange as I think?”

“Yes” Greg laughed, “but I think I understand what you mean. Mycroft… he is the longest relationship I have had in a long time and things are still good between he and I… despite everything… and there is you of course, I like spending time with you.”

“I like spending time with you too” Itzel said leaning over and placing a kiss on Greg´s cheek.

Greg held her hand and they stayed like that for a few moments, just sitting there without talking.

“It will not be easy. Mycroft is convinced that if he detoxes his body from your hormones he would no longer have feelings for you.”

“That sounds so like him… always looking for logical explanations… He cares for me, he really does, for whatever reason, be it hormones or the fact that he likes me... I will not lose that; it will be a cold lonely life for both of us if I let this distance between us remain. I have finally accepted he will not feel the same for me, that does not mean I have to fight against what I feel. So, wish me luck, hopefully it will only take me a couple of years to convince him that caring for me is not something terrible,” Itzel joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“I am sure it will not take you long. He has missed you.”

“Well I hope you are right.”

Greg took a deep breath and got up.

“Everything will be alright, do not worry. Now let’s go, I will take you home.”

Itzel hugged Greg tightly.

“Thank you Greg, you are an awesome friend.”

“I am only doing this for the coffee, you know?” Greg joked pushing out of his head the way he felt when Itzel hugged him. He dropped Itzel at her house, and then drove to the pub near his apartment. He really needed a distraction for the troubling thoughts that had crossed his mind since he saw her at the airport; he had no business noticing how attractive she was, or how nicely she smelled or how soft her lips were... Must be the pheromones, he said to himself, laughing out loud.

*

Once at home, Itzel took her time unpacking and then preparing herself to receive her alpha. She was not sure what she would do or say… all she knew was that she wanted to feel his arms around her.

Itzel held no hopes of Mycroft coming home earlier than normal because of her arrival, there was nothing on this Earth that made him leave the office before he was done with his work. She used her time preparing a romantic dinner, she even gave the afternoon off to Cook and Marianne; she thought it would be easier to make Mycroft drop his defences if they were alone.

*

Mycroft got out of the office at his usual hour; he had thought of visiting Sherlock and John, but he knew his brother will start asking questions about the reasons why he had not gone home considering it was Itzel´s first day back, and the last thing he needed was for his brother to try and deduce him.

During the whole ride home Mycroft went over the arguments he would present Itzel to convince her that having separate rooms would be the best for them, he was sure it will not take much to convince her, since she had been distant since the New Year’s Party; it was obvious she had not forgiven him for his possessiveness, he thought bitterly. It was for the best, it was for the best, he kept saying to himself.

*

As usual Itzel knew Mycroft had arrived, before he even crossed the threshold, and without thinking it through, she ran downstairs to meet him, and as soon as he opened the door, she threw herself to him, circling his neck with her arms and burrowing her nose against a point behind his ear.

“I missed you,” she whispered.

“Itzel… please let go of me, this is highly inappropriate,” Mycroft said tightly, she had not even given him time to close the door.

“Oh, Mycroft please, I am you are wife what part of me hugging you is inappropriate? Besides, we are in our home.”

“We have an arranged marriage, my dear wife, and you know that among our social circle public shows of affection are frowned upon,” Mycroft added, finally closing the door.

“Yes… an arranged marriage,” Itzel said sadly, but soon, her resolve came back, she would not conform, so she added in a petulant tone, “We are in our home”.

“The door was open, anyone who walked by could have seen us,” Mycroft answered a little forcefully.

“Mycroft, what is wrong with that? Inside these walls we have more than an arranged marriage. We are friends, partners, lovers.”

Mycroft held her tightly by her upper arms. He thought he had cleansed his body from her pheromones… but just looking at her, feeling her close again… it made his resolve crumble… and then the way she had hugged him, anyone could have seen them. Why couldn´t she understand? If anyone walked by, they would have seen them in a tight embrace… and he could not allow it… He would be placing his omega in an even more vulnerable position. NO, he would not let that happen, she was his, and he will protect her, no one will ever use her to get to him.

Still holding Itzel in his arms, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her forcefully. “You know I dislike public displays of affection,” he growled against her lips.

“We are home, dear husband,” Itzel repeated gasping for breath after the way Mycroft had kissed her.

“The door was open, dear wife,” Mycroft pointed out once again, nipping at her neck while placing hisetween her legs.

“You exaggerate, dear husband,” she moaned.

“There is a reason for that, Itzel, you know about my work... at least the general parameters of it…”

“Yes, I do… I am not stupid you know?” she said angrily.

Mycroft just pushed her harder against the wall, placing her arms above her head against the wall, holding them there with one hand wrapped around her wrists.

“Then do not place yourself at unnecessary risk. It is my duty to protect you, to make sure no harm befalls you… do you have any idea of…” Mycroft stopped midsentence to kiss her again. The mere idea of something bad happening to her…

“Alpha, my good alpha,” Itzel whispered between kisses. “I have missed you so much… so much”.

Mycroft suddenly let go of Itzel. No, he had made a decision. They will keep their distance, they will sleep in separate room from now on, he could not let his instincts rule his actions.

“Mycroft no, Mycroft, please. I… I… I miss you, I miss talking and laughing with you...I miss my husband… please I promise I will be very discrete, no one will ever know that between us there is more than a marriage of convenience. But in this house, when we are alone… please…” Itzel begged desperately as Mycroft drew away from her.

“Itzel we tried, and it did not work and you know that. It only complicated things, I became possessive and you resented that, so much that you started spending as little time with me as little time as you could,” Mycroft said coldly, telling himself his words sounded logical, as a valid reason to go on with his idea of separate rooms and not as if he were reproaching Itzel her behaviour.

“I am sorry,” Itzel said sincerely, she wanted to explain to Mycroft the reason for her cold behaviour, but she was not brave enough to tell him the whole truth, so she opted for a half truth. “I did not mean to do that, but the night of the New Year party… I realized I want your approval, I want you to see me as more as than an omega who needs to be looked after… that is why I pushed you away… but what is the point? I am an omega, you will always feel the need to protect me even if I prove to you I can take care of myself… trying to stay away from you… I do not want that… As I have told you before, I care for you Mycroft… please… I will do whatever you want!”

Mycroft´s blood boiled upon hearing Itzel’s words; still, he kept a strong control on his desires and he looked intently at her… He was stubborn and proud, but he was not a fool. Looking at her now, having her between his arms, hearing her say she would do anything he wanted… He had been lying to himself, she affected him not only because of pheromones, she affected him because he had let her come close to him. He cared for her and that terrified him, but she had a point, why keep pushing each other away? They will live together the rest of their lives; a divorce was out of the question. Why make their lives miserable? It was not so terrible, was it? It was not like he was in love with Itzel, he cared for her, and that was all… if he accepted it, he would be able to manage it, just like he managed what he felt for Sherlock and Mummy… yes, better to accept it and deal with it, rather than deny it.

“So… you will do whatever I want, my omega? You will be a good omega and follow my every instruction?” Mycroft asked with a predatory smile, carrying Itzel bridal style and heading to their room.

“Yes, my alpha,” she said in a whisper.

“Very well, you will do as I say, and only if I deem you have obeyed me to the letter, I will take you, if not, you will do it over and over again, till you get it right. Understood?” Mycroft said against her ear, making her shiver from head to toe.

“Yes, my alpha”, Itzel answered once again, almost out of breath and already feeling her core getting wet.

Mycroft placed Itzel on the bed while he pulled a chair over and sat down, observing his omega.

“Take your clothes off”, he ordered, while he took of his suit jacket and rolled up his shirt´s sleeves.

Itzel´s breathing became quicker… she had a thing for her alpha´s hands and arms… so strong… she trailed her gaze along the little skin of her alpha she could see and then she obediently took her clothes off, in a slow, careful way, folding each piece neatly and placing it in an orderly pile on her night table.

“On the bed, now. Lay down with your legs open, bend your knees and try to touch your butt cheeks with the heels of your feet.”

Itzel did as Mycroft ordered, thanking yoga for her flexibility, it was funny to be thinking of yoga now, but her mind was all over the place, the pleasure was building inside of her and when that happened her mind came up with the most random thoughts.

“That is my good, obedient omega. So beautiful… and mine, completely mine, no one will ever get to see you like this, no one will ever make you feel like this. You know that, right?”

“Yes, my alpha, I am yours,” Itzel said between gasps.

“Excellent. Now my good omega, listen to me carefully and do exactly as I tell you. Place two fingers on your clitoris. Yes, just like that. Mycroft whispered as Itzel followed his instruction. Now press and hold. Good, now slowly increase the pressure and circle your clitoris. Yes, keep going, don´t stop, just remember to be gentle and don´t increase the speed”.

Mycroft observed Itzel touching herself for long minutes, Itzel was moaning and wreathing on the bed, begging for her alpha to join her, but Mycroft ignored her pleas, letting the expectation grow in both of them.

“Now, now my beautiful omega, just breathe deeply”, Mycroft said with a smirk, knowing that will only drive Itzel wilder, since she will be able to smell his arousal.

Itzel groaned as soon as she was able to smell her alpha, HE WANTED HER HE WANTED HER… the bulge in his trousers was very telling, but the smell, it made it more real somehow, it touched on something primal within. A shiver went through Itzel´s body and her nipples became harder, noticing this, Mycroft issued his next order. “Gently pinch your nipples. Softly pull and twist. You are close, aren´t you, my sweet omega?”

“Yes my alpha, so close, please, please, please,” Itzel moaned.

Mycroft ignored her.

“Tap your clitoris. Slow and steady… now harder and faster… perfect my omega, just perfect.”

Itzel was sweating now… she was so close… so close… just…

“Stop,” came the harsh order.

Itzel made a whining sound and trashed her head on the pillow.

“Sssh, my sweet omega, calm down. Feel the electricity shoot through your body. Enjoy the sensation… We are just beginning, it has been a long time without you… we must make the most of it, don´t you think?” Mycroft said while approaching the bed and taking Itzel´s face between his hands, kissing her possessively.

Itzel was just getting over the pleasurable frustration Mycroft had caused in her, when he gave his next order in an almost feral tone.

“Repeat the process”.

Itzel groaned deeply but did as she was told, a little part of her gleeful at noticing by Mycroft´s tone of voice and smell that he was just as affected as her by their little game.

Over and over again Mycroft brought Itzel to the edge, just to make her stop, but when it was obvious that his omega could not take anymore, he divested of his remaining clothes and joined her on the bed. He observed her carefully for a few seconds, filing in his mind every little detail of his omega, from her hair in disarray, her shinny eyes, her swollen red lips... He wanted her so much, he could not believe he had decided to give her up.

After cataloguing every aspect of his omega and keeping each detail in his Mind File, he kissed her possessively and while biting her neck, exactly where her bond mark was, he took her with one swift movement. Being inside her was blissful… Mycroft felt… complete, in a way. Shying away from such thoughts he pushed the idea to the deepest darkest part of him mind and focused on the pleasure he felt at finally having his omega, after weeks of separation. Mycroft pumped into her vigorously and both desperate to reach their orgasm. It didn’t take long at all and Mycroft was gasping, the urge to come coiling in his centre, his knot beginning to swell already, causing him to shorten his thrusts, at the feel of Itzel’s muscles contracting wildly around him Mycroft grasped at Itzel’s hips reaching his peak with a long drawn out groan.  His Omega’s cries echoing in his ears.

The bed was a mess, they were both sweaty and covered in each other´s essences, but for once Mycroft did not care about cleanliness, not that he could do something about it now since his knot had inflated in record time and now he would be joined to Itzel for at least half an hour. He hugged her tightly and scented her neck.

His omega was back, in his bed, as it should be, not only her body, but also her mind. He will not let her go again, never again… he was a cold selfish bastard, but he was a hedonist of sorts. After a childhood where discipline was the norm and he was denied everything he liked, be it food or clothes or any kind of entertainment; once he reached adulthood and left his house he had let himself enjoy the little and big pleasures of life, of course, always in a discrete and measured way since his line of work demanded for him to have a spotless record. So now he will not deny himself the pleasure of having a sweet omega and a good wife.

“We are sticky and smelly,” Itzel murmured sleepily.

“I know, dear wife, rest now, we will bathe when we wake up.”

“Okie dokie my dear husband,” Itzel said and, after yawning, she drifted to sleep, happy in Mycroft´s arms.

Mycroft placed a tender kiss on her lips and also drifted to sleep.

*

The next days were far from easy for Mycroft and Itzel; going back to the closeness they used to share did not come naturally for them, after all, they were both insecure, damaged beings. They had to make a conscious effort to spend time together and be open to each other, it was really easy to fall back into false, cold politeness, after all, that was the way they were brought up to behave.

As Itzel had pointed out, Greg had become a part of their marriage, so neither of them stopped meeting with him. He still saw Mycroft on Wednesdays and Itzel on Saturdays.

The first time Mycroft met with Greg after Itzel´s return, the younger alpha grudgingly apologized for his behaviour, and after a lot of cajoling and teasing from Greg, he finally accepted he did care for Itzel, at an emotional level and that it had nothing to do with pheromones, Greg smiled each time he remembered that day.

They were once again at Greg´s apartment and he had cooked, it had been a long week at work and he was not in the mood of going out, even when Mycroft had offered to take him to his favourite restaurant.

When dinner was ready and they finally sat down, Mycroft did not eat at all, he was just pushing his food around his plate.

“This feels like déjà vu,” Greg pointed out.

Mycroft just raised an eyebrow and changed the topic asking about Itzel´s self-defence lessons.

Greg shrugged his shoulders good naturedly and played along with Mycroft, as a rule they did not talk about Itzel, but it seemed that was about to change.

“Well, she is not too strong, but she is very agile, so we are focusing mostly on she learning ways to free herself in case she is restrained. I recommended here to run a few kilometres a day, but she just flat out refused.”

Mycroft laughed at that.

“Good luck convincing her of running. She just hates it, but on a second thought I guess I will encourage her to do that, in case of... an emergency.”

“It just terrifies you, doesn´t it? The idea of her getting hurt.”

“She is my responsibility. Her father and grandfather count on me to keep her safe. I know you think I exaggerate, but there have been kidnap attempts against not only Holmes family members, but also Cedeños. Better safe than sorry. Besides, her being an omega just places her at more risk.”

“Yes, I would like to say that does not factor in her situation, but it does, there are people out there who, not knowing who she is, will target her just for being omega and young and attractive... Sorry, you know what I mean.”

“Yes I do. Mycroft said smiling lightly. She warned me the other day that once she has our first child her figure will completely change.”

“Do you mind about that?” Greg asked, really curious.

“Not really,” Mycroft said. “I may be a shallow man, but even I can appreciate there is more to Itzel than her looks, so a few more pounds will not make her appear less attractive for me”.

“Wow!!! That was step one,” Greg said cheerfully.

“Excuse me? What are you talking about, Gregory?”

“You care for her,” Greg said in a singsong voice, pointing his fork at Mycroft.

“She is my wife, I chose her, if all I cared about were a pretty face and a fit body I would have chosen someone else,” Mycroft answered coldly.

“So you chose her also for her wonderful sense of humour?”

“Gregory, really,” Mycroft said a little exasperated.

“Ok, ok, I give it to you that girl can make the worst jokes ever, but she is really cute, don´t you think? Like a lost puppy you just want to cuddle.”

“Please, do refrain from comparing my wife to any kind of animal, no matter how ‘cute’ you think they are.”

“Nah, you are right, not a puppy, she is too astute for that; oh, I know, a kitten, you know, small and fluffy but with sharp nails.”

Mycroft couldn´t help but laugh at that.

“She will direct an angry kitten stare at you if she ever finds out about this conversation.”

“Oh, but you won´t tell her.”

“No, I will not, but I am tempted, very tempted. So, think about it the next time you want to exasperate me.”

“Blackmail Mr. Holmes? Good for you, I would not have expected less from you. So... about your pheromones theory...”

Mycroft glared at him, and said nothing, finally tasting his food and making a sincere sound of approval.

“Somehow I had forgotten what a good cook you are.”

“I am offended,” Greg teased him, “and just because of that I will ask again, what about your pheromones theory?”

“Gregory...”, Mycroft said in a warning tone.

“Oh, come on Myc, is it too hard to say that your theory was bollocks?”

“For your information it is not, I mean, not completely, just received a report about that. Actually, pheromones do have an influence on the mind to create _feelings_.”

“Oh really? Do tell!” Greg said adopting a fake pose, once he had seen on a man given a lecture at university, the posh twat thought of himself as the ultimate intellectual.

Mycroft almost laughed at Gregory´s ridiculous pose, but he was good at keeping his cold facade, so he went on with his explanations in a very serious tone.

“Well it seems at the first stages of a relationship, pheromones create a state of... exultation between the alpha and omega, it seems to be nature´s way of ensuring reproduction. Because of that feeling, they develop the need to be together, it is addictive in a way.”

“Aha, so in the first stages... How long does that first stage last?” Greg asked holding his chin with one hand.

“Acoupleofmonths,” Mycroft said hurriedly.

But Greg wasn´t a D.I. just because of his looks, he knew to discern mumbles and grumbles and whispers, was part of the job. “So... just a couple of months. After that, what happens exactly?”

Mycroft wanted to roll his eyes, but refrained.

“The alpha and the omega develop some kind of immunity to the effect of the pheromones; I mean, they still play a part during coupling, but the need to be close at all times, that fake feeling of caring for the person, disappears.”

“Aha, so what does that mean for you and Itzel?”

Mycroft sighed deeply and this time he did rolled his eyes in a way that would have made Sherlock proud.

“It means I do care about her, and it has nothing to do with pheromones.”

“I knew it!! See it was not so painful to admit it,” Greg laughed.

“It was more painful than you think Gregory. It is never easy to take notice of a personal flaw.”

“Oh, come on, Myc, caring for people is not a flaw, it is just human nature.”

“In my line of work I must be above that, I must be objective and emotionless, that helps to take decisions others refuse to face.”

“Yes, at work, but we are talking about your personal life here, so quit the crap, ok, so you are human at home, what is so wrong about that?”

“I am placing her at risk and you know it.”

“Myc, just quit the act ok? She is at risk no matter what, we just pointed that out, every omega is at risk, and she has the advantage that you can have a small army protecting her, so just get over that.”

Mycroft sighed deeply.

“I will try, but I do not promise anything.” Then he gazed into his cup of tea and after a few minutes lifted his eyes to Greg. “Considering I have already bared one weakness to you, and because I do respect you, Gregory, even if other people would not see it like that since you are my lover; I must confess I also care for you.”

Greg placed his hand over Mycroft´s and smiled at him.

“I already knew that, you git, the two men that follow me everywhere, even to crime scenes, gave it away.”

“You noticed that?!?”

“Of course I did, I may not be a genius but I am not completely daft you know? And I am a damn good D.I., I got that post even before Sherlock began helping me.”

“Yes Gregory, I did not mean it like that, I... I am sorry.”

“No, you are not, you controlling bastard! But it is ok, will not complain about the extra protection, considering my line of work,” Greg said with a smirk.

“Why do you and Itzel just love to use my own words against me?”

“Because it is fun, why else?”

“You are impossible, both of you.”

“But you care about us, the both of us,” Greg added laughing his head off.


	30. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things just get more complicated...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! to all of you who are still reading this story it would be nice to hear from you, REALLY, please please comment, constructive criticism is welcomed.

**Chapter 29**

After a few months of being back, Mycroft and Itzel had become close again, they were again friends... lovers... Neither of them wanted to put a label to what they were, they just knew it felt right, and the timing could not have been better, considering that the Omega Centre was ready to start functioning, and once it opened, Itzel had to spend a lot of time there.

She was not in charge of managing it, but her presence was needed since she was its public face. If things had still been tense between Mycroft and her, the time the centre demanded of her would have made things worse for their marriage.

As things stood, Mycroft understood all the time she spent outside of the house, and was supportive. Sometimes he went and picked her up there and attended some meetings or social events, which was good, since by seeing Mycroft there many people were encouraged to donate to the Centre. They expected it would gain them some favour from the Holmes’ heir, which will not happen, but they did not know that, so he kept showing up, if briefly, in order to help Itzel.

The other reason why he kept attending those kinds of gatherings was because by doing so he had discovered a new aspect of Itzel´s personality, or at least one he had not seen before. His omega was a force to be reckoned with when she was defending her views on education and politics related to omegas. She stood her ground in front of old-fashioned alphas and most of the times won every argument, even if the alphas were blind enough to not realize it.

“Please, dear husband, take me out of here before I slap someone,” Itzel whispered to Mycroft during one of those endless reunions they held to promote the centre.

“That bad dear wife?” Mycroft asked with a smirk.

Itzel just rolled her eyes.

“Yes!!! What do these people have in their heads? Sawdust?”

“If that were the case, slapping will not do much to improve their views.”

“No, but it would certainly improve my mood. I am so glad you do not think like them.”

“Just don´t tell them that, it is easier to manipulate people if they think you share their views.”

“Oh, you should have told me that before,” Itzel said laughing. “But seriously, let’s go home already, this is the last of these gatherings I have to attend; on Monday, I begin with my first group of children, I am so excited!!”

“That means you will be home for dinner every night from now on?”

“Yes my alpha, it also means I do not have to get up so early,” Itzel said smiling in a mischievous way.

“I really like the sound of that my dear wife,” and after making their excuses, they left for their home, where they both enjoyed the advantages of not having to wake up early, since it was Friday.

*

“Why do you have to work so early?” Itzel asked Mycroft, pouting, while Cook shook her head discretely and tried to hide her smile.

“It is not too early, my dear wife. My office hours begin at 10 a.m. which is quite late compared to other jobs.”

“Too early Mycroft, too early. You run England, can´t you change your office hours?”

“I certainly do not run England as you say my dear wife, that is quite an exaggeration.”

“No, it is not, it would have been if I had said you run the whole of the UK, I just said England,” Itzel joked.

Mycroft glared at Itzel and then directed a pointed look Cook´s way. Itzel just rolled her eyes.

“Really Mycroft, it was a joke, just a joke, Cook knows perfectly well you just hold a minor position in government.”

Cook could not help but giggle at that.

“Ah... sorry Sir, she said clearing her throat, if you excuse me, I will go check if the groceries have been delivered.”

“Really, Itzel, was that necessary?” Mycroft said sternly.

“Nope. But it was fun,” she said winking at him. “Oh come on, they have a general idea of what you do, they are not blind or stupid, besides, the fact that their background is checked thoroughly is a big give away of your social and political standing.”

“Still, there is no need to flaunt it.”

“Ok, I am sorry, I will not do it again”, Itzel said. “So, you are leaving to the office now?”

“Yes my dear wife. Your class begins at 2 p.m. right?”

“Yes, it is not really a class, you know, I will just help the children with their homework, try to detect why they are having problems at school; that is all. Oh, and I am meeting Greg for coffee.”

“Alright my dear wife, I hope you have a great day,” Mycroft said getting up and kissing Itzel.

“Thank you, see you later, don’t work too much Mr. Holmes”.

“You neither Mrs. Holmes,” Mycroft answered smiling at her and finally heading to work.

*

“Look at you, love, you are radiant!!”

“Thank you!! It was such a great day, Greg, the kids are just so sweet and amazing!!!”

“Glad to hear the little monsters did not make you run to the hills begging for peace and quiet.”

“Oh, really, Greg, yes they are a handful and they are loud and messy like any healthy toddler, but that does not make them any less cute and amazing. They have the sweetest ideas and the way they look at you, with so much... trust and innocence... it brought back my faith in humanity... still there is one kid that worries me a little... I will have to be very observant... Anyway, how have you been?”

“Just fine, love, lots of work. Funny how despite Sherlock´s help my workload seems to increase rather than lessen.”

“Maybe it is because he does no paperwork,” Itzel joked.

“Yeah, must be that,” Greg said. “He is brilliant when solving cases, but his methods are so unorthodox – that, when I sit down to write the reports, I just don´t know how to explain things… Gosh I can´t wait for my next days off,” Greg said massaging the back of his neck.

“Have you decided where you will be going?” Itzel asked.

“Well, it is not like we have a lot of options… we have to be discrete after all,” Greg answered just as calmly as Itzel had asked… and how strange was that? Here he was talking with Itzel about the days off he will spend with Mycroft.

“Oh, right. I do not mind, I couldn’t care less of what people think, but yes Mycroft does not want to place you or I in a vulnerable position. I find it… sweet… the fact he does not want people to badmouth either of us… How surreal is our life?”

Greg shrugged his shoulders.

“Very much… but it is not boring or lonely, that is for sure.”

“No, it certainly isn´t,” Itzel said smiling at Greg. It was funny how he had become part of her life. She could not imagine not talking or going out with the older alpha. He was an excellent friend… a very handsome friend if Itzel was honest with herself. Sometimes she wondered why the media had not made up some story regarding both of them; probably because Mycroft was controlling that.

They talked for a long time, covering a lot of different topics; Itzel even got Greg to agree to give a self-defence class in the Centre. They scheduled it for the next Saturday after Greg and Mycroft returned from their little holiday and Itzel made Greg promise to keep up with the class if there was a good turn up.

“Have to go now,” Itzel sighed, looking at her watch. “Time truly flies when I am with you. Well, have a good holiday, Greg, I hope you get to rest and relax enough to not want to strangle Sherlock.”

“For that I would need to have a whole sabbatical year.”

“Oh, don´t be mean, he is not that terrible.”

“No, he is the worst, really I must talk to John, perhaps he will get Sherlock to help me with some of the paper work.”

“Yes, and pigs will fly one day.”

“Well, a man can dream, right?”

“Yep, you can certainly dream about that. See you next week Greg, take care of Mycroft, ok?”

“You know I will.”

“Yes, I know that,” Itzel said hugging Greg tightly and kissing his cheek. “Don´t let any unbound omega come too close, or your holiday will be ruined understood?”

“Like any omega will want to come close to an old grey alpha as me,” Greg joked keeping Itzel between his arms.

“Really Mr. Silver Fox, have you looked yourself in a mirror lately?”

“Oh, you only say that because you look at me with love,” Greg said, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how wrong that could sound. “Not that you love me, it is just a figure of speech,” he said lamely.

“We are friends, Greg, aren’t we? We love each other because we are friends, there is nothing wrong with that, is there?” Itzel said lowering her gaze to Greg´s chest, since she was not able to look into his eyes… this was a dangerous and confusing territory.

“Yes, friends, we are friends, and friends love each other. You are right, love,” Greg said hugging her tightly, because he was as confused as she was, their lives were so entangled… they loved the same alpha and shared a lot of things because of that… it was to be expected that they would end up having an unusual friendship, that was all it was, an unusual friendship.

*

“Anthea, my dear, I guess I told you I did not want any interruptions today. I will be gone for a few days, and I want to leave as few tasks unfinished as possible.”

“Yes, Mr. Holmes, please excuse me but you gave me instructions of interrupting you if there was any issue concerning Mrs. Holmes, that is why I dare interrupt you. Dr. Albright just phoned, he had to make a house call to check up on Mrs. Holmes; apparently, one of the children at the Centre has measles, and even though Mrs. Holmes was vaccinated as a child, she caught it, and is presenting a mild case of it. The Doctor ordered her bedrest for a couple of weeks.”

“I see... Anthea, there will be a change of plans, I will be working from my home until my wife gets well. Please help me organize the necessary files and I am afraid you will have to take the post to my home daily.”

“Of course Sir, it will not be a problem.”

Mycroft and Anthea had everything ready in just a few moments, and Mycroft was finally on his way home; he tried to reach Greg through the phone, but it kept sending him to voice mail and at the office they told him Greg had left early since he was enjoying a few days off... like he did not know that. But he had to contact Greg and inform him their plans will have to be postponed; he could not possible leave Itzel alone at this time.

Frustrated by not being able to reach Greg, Mycroft had to ask Anthea to inform Greg of the situation.

*

After much deliberation, Greg and Mycroft had finally agreed on spending Greg´s few days off on a chalet at a Greek island. Mycroft swore the chalet had been in his family for years, but Greg had his doubts, leave it for the posh git to have bought a chalet, hell the whole island as a romantic getaway.

Considering where they were going and the fact that it will not cost him a lot, even if he had insisted in sharing expenses, Greg left early from work and went shopping, he needed new swimming trunks and it would not hurt to buy a couple of nice trousers and shirts. He finished with his shopping quickly thanks to the help of a nice salesclerk, ate a snack at a stand and then headed home to prepare dinner for Mycroft, they will not be leaving till the morning.

When he arrived home, there was a young and attractive woman leaning on his door, he had seen her somewhere before...

“D.I. Gregory Lestrade, good afternoon,” she said, without lifting off her gaze from the phone.

“Oh, Anthea, right? You are Mycroft´s personal assistant.”

She finally lifted her eyes from the phone, just to glare at him.

“Your phone is out of battery; you should plug it as soon as you get in your apartment. On another note, Mr. Holmes has been trying to contact you to inform you your plans will have to be postponed, Mrs. Holmes is sick.”

“Yes, of course, of course, how is Itzel?”

“Excuse me D.I. Gregory Lestrade but I am not at liberty to discuss Mrs. Holmes health with strangers,” Anthea answered in an icy voice.

Far from being offended, Greg smiled at Anthea. Finally, someone who treated him as he expected!!! It got kind of annoying the fact everyone who knew about his relationship with Mycroft treated him as if it was normal and acceptable to be someone’s lover; obviously, Sherlock was not one of those persons, but the young omega simply pretended that the relationship between Mycroft and himself did not existed.

He did not regret his relationship with Mycroft; it was one of the best things that had happened to him. Still, he could not completely ignore the social conventions nor the principles he was brought up with, so occasionally there was a little voice inside his head, which sounded a lot like his Mom´s voice, telling him he had no right to Mycroft´s affection.

“Very well then. Thank you for relaying the message. I will go and plug in my phone per your instructions. Have a good day, Miss.”

“You too D.I. Lestrade,” Anthea answered in the same tone as if she had said, I hope you get electrocuted while charging your phone.

Greg was still laughing by the time he got in his apartment.

*

Itzel felt terrible, she was running a fever, her head ached and for some reason her sense of smell seemed stronger even if she had a running nose and conjunctivitis, the itching had not begun yet, she hopped it was not as terrible as everybody said.

She heard the door opening, she thought it would be Marianne coming to check on her, she really did not want to see anyone, so she just hid under the covers, burrowing her face into Mycroft´s pillow, effectively blocking all noise or smells; so she was very surprised when a firm big hand pulled down the covers to show her face.

“Hello, dear wife, how are you feeling?” Mycroft asked warmly.

“Mycroft? What are you doing here? You had plans with Greg,” Itzel said feeling torn, she was happy Mycroft was here, but she felt bad for having ruined his plans.

“I was informed you were sick,” Mycroft said simply, moving her hair to the side, so he could look at here properly

“Mmmh, Marianne and Cook have been looking after me and Siger said he will come and stay here for a few days. You did not have to worry.”

“I could not go away knowing you were not your best.”

“I am sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, my dear wife. Now, if you do not want me to worry, sleep so you get better”, he said playing with her hair tenderly.

“Okay,” Itzel said drifting to sleep almost immediately; having Mycroft there had made her feel better all of a sudden.

*

Once Itzel had fallen asleep, Mycroft sat at the small desk he had in the room and started working, since he had nothing else to do.

He had never been the nurturing type, but for the life of him, he could not bring himself to leave her alone; he knew that if she woke up and needed anything, she just had to call for Marianne or Cook, but he wanted to be the one to look after her, at least until the worst of the disease had passed.

After a while working, his phone rang.

“Hello, Gregory”, he said politely.

“Hi Myc, how is everything? How is Itzel?”

“She is resting now. She caught measles from a kid at the Centre, so nothing life-threatening; still, the doctor recommended bed rest since that kind of disease could be tricky on adults.”

“Oh man, that sounds awful, yes, I´ve heard measles as an adult can be a pain. Well, say hi to her from me, and I hope she gets well soon. Would you mind if I call her in a couple of days, when she is feeling better?”

“Not at all, Gregory, I am sure she will like to hear from you. She is feeling a little guilty, she thinks she ruined our plans.”

“Of course, that is Itzel for you,” Greg said fondly. “Do not worry, I will call her and do my best to make her understand there is nothing for her to feel guilty about.”

“Thank you, I will really appreciate that. I hope she will be feeling better by next week, but if I need to cancel our Wednesday appointment, I will let you know.”

“Now you do not worry about that. Just be with her and make sure she rests and does not scratch too much. I´ll keep in touch.”

“Thank you, Gregory. See you as soon as possible.”

“Bye Myc, take care.”

*

The next couple of days, Itzel dozed off must of the time; that always happened to her whenever he was running a fever. When her fever finally broke, she got better; she still felt a little dizzy and weak and the itch was maddening, but overall she was ok.

The doctor had said it was just a matter of a few days more for her to be able to reassume her normal life, which convinced Mycroft to go and work in the library; she felt bad for having him going up and down the stairs, since there were calls he could not attend while in her presence.

There was not much she could do, but read and watch TV.; the doctor did not want her moving around; it seemed there was something about measles which put at risk her already compromised fertility. She had been reading her favourite poet, Gustavo Adolfo Bequer, when she fell asleep.

When she woke up, Sherlock was laying besides her, observing her intently.

“Taking an inventory of each of my spots?” she joked.

“You look terrible,” Sherlock said seriously.

“I feel terrible, the itching is just bleh!!!” she answered shuddering.

“Where is Mycroft?” Sherlock asked.

“Downstairs. In the library. He decided to work from home since I am sick.”

“Mmmh,” Sherlock mumbled incomprehensibly.

“What, couldn´t you deduce it?” she said with a little sad smile.

“I would rather not deduce anything concerning you and my brother. For some reason, I do not like to tell you ‘I told you so’.”

Itzel sighed deeply.

“Sherlock, please not now.”

“Not now or ever at all, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Well, at least my hideous brother is fulfilling his alpha obligations.”

“He is not hideous!!! And don´t he always fulfils his obligations? He takes his responsibilities as the Holmes heir very seriously,” Itzel said a little despondently. Mycroft and her could be at a better stage in their relationship, but her insecurities were always there; did Mycroft care about her? Or it was only his high sense of duty which made him act the way he did?

Sherlock, changed the subject, telling her all about his latest experiments as well as some cold cases he had been helping with. He did not mention D.I. Lestrade’s name at all, not wanting to upset Itzel.

She just held his hand, not actually listening to what he was saying, he was there, trying to cheer her up and make her feel better, that meant the world for her. Sherlock was like the little brother she never had.

“How is John? It´s been a while since I saw him,” she said during a pause in Sherlock´s long monologue.

“He is fine,” Sherlock said pouting.

“Oh? What happened?” Itzel said, suddenly worried.

Sherlock gave a dramatic sigh.

“I might have caused a scene at his workplace...”

“Was it because of Sara again?” she added while petting Sherlock´s dark curls.

“That hateful beta wants John!!! And John can´t see it, and keeps being nice to her!!!”

“John is nice to everybody, Sher, but yes, I can see your conflict, because some people confuse things and read too much into a gesture that is done merely out of politeness.”

“Why can´t John understand it!!! He isn´t completely idiot.”

“Well, for one, John is very much in love with you and has eyes for no one else; besides, he is very modest, he really can´t see his own attractiveness, so he thinks Sara is only interested in friendship.”

“He owns a mirror, he should be able to see how gorgeous he is, and he smells deliciously, and he is mine!!!”

“Really, Sher, not everybody is like you. You know you are attractive and never doubt that, the rest of us, mere mortals have our bad days...Anyway, try to be more patient, and subtle, I am sure Sara will end up doing something which will convince John that her intentions aren´t that innocent, and he will keep his distance from her.”

“Is that your way of telling me to fool Sara so she revels her intentions to John?”

Itzel just shrugged, she wanted to help Sherlock, but she knew better than to interfere in the couple´s life and she did not want to explain anything to Mycroft if shit hit the proverbial fan... In any case, she will have a discrete chat with John.

Sherlock and her talked about a few other things until it was time for Sherlock to return home, before leaving he tried to convince her to give him blood or saliva samples, but she refused categorically, she did not want to be held responsible for this century´s worst break out of measles in London.

*

A few days later, Itzel received a call from Greg.

“Hey, love.”

“Hello, Greg, how are you?” Itzel said happily.

“Ah, been better. It seems Sherlock and John had a small spat, and you know how that affects Sherlock´s natural charm”, he said sarcastically.

“Oh, poor you. Do not worry, I am sure they will fix things soon. But weren´t you taking a few days off?”

“Nah, decided to postpone them, really there was no point in staying home. And before you begin with the self-beating, no, it is not your fault, how could it be, you got sick, it was not like you did it in on purpose.”

“Still... I am sorry.”

“Nah, don’t worry. It is all good. I understand Mycroft wanting to make sure you are well taken care of.”

“Thank you. Oh, I received an email from the Centre, everybody is very happy with your self-defence classes, there is nothing but praise about how professional and respectful you are. I really appreciate it, Greg, some of the omegas at the Centre have had bad experiences with alphas; it is good that they realize not all alphas are brutes.”

“Well, I am glad to hear that. I like giving those classes you know? I can´t stop thinking of all the incidents we could be preventing by preparing omegas to defend themselves in a risky situation.”

“Thank you. Anyway, make sure to have next weekend open, I will see to it that you and Mycroft have your well-deserved days off.”

“Itzel, there is no need for that, not until you are well.”

“I am well, I just need a little bit of rest, according to the doctor, and it is not so much about me getting worse, it is just a precaution. Siger will be arriving today to keep me company.”

“If you are sure.”

“Yes I am, wait for Mycroft´s call ok?”

“Ok, love, hope to see you soon.”

“Me too, I miss going shopping with you,” Itzel said innocently.

“Uh... shopping.” Greg joked.

“I know you only come along because of the coffee.”

“Well, of course, what else could have convinced me to accompany you raid every shop in the city?”

“Oh, I don´t know? My amazing personality?”

“Yeah... no, it was the coffee.”

“You wound me, Greg,”, Itzel teased him.

“No, I don´t,” Greg answered confidently.

“No, you really don´t, bye then.”

“Bye, love.”

*

The fates seemed to be against Greg and Mycroft taking a small holiday together; when it wasn´t because of Greg´s work, it was because of Mycroft´s, but they kept postponing it.

At some point, Greg stopped seeing Mycroft for over two months; he had been called to help in negotiating some treaty or another, and that had kept him away from London.

The first weeks of Mycroft´s absence, Greg had met with Itzel almost every day, but he had put a stop to that after his dreams... nightmares began. While awake, he was very good at controlling any stray thought regarding how attractive he found Itzel, but asleep, his subconscious just loved to play with those ideas, creating very suggestive dreams... better to stay away from her, it was just a phase, he will get over it...

*

By accident, and thanks to Sherlock´s incapability of keeping to himself his deductions, Greg found out when will Mycroft be returning home, so he went to the airport to receive him. He knew Itzel will be waiting for him at their house, per Mycroft´s instructions.

It was not easy to get in the area where Mycroft´s airplane would be landing, but he used his post as D.I. to get in, he hated to use his work for personal matters, but he had missed Mycroft very much, and wanted to see him.

Anthea rolled her eyes when she noticed D.I. Lestrade trying to sneak in, she informed the surveillance teams he was to be let in, she thought it would be easier that way, she would hate to have to face Mr. Holmes’ ire if he found out D.I. Lestrade had been detained by their people.

Greg found Anthea at some point, and without a word, she conducted him to Mr. Holmes car and told him in no uncertain terms to wait inside.

Greg was nervous and excited about all this, like a teenager who sneaked out from school to be with his sweetheart... he could not help but laugh at the idea... He doubted anyone had ever referred to Mycroft as “sweetheart”.

“Hello Myc,” Greg said smiling at Mycroft, as soon as he opened the car´s door.

“Gregory,” Mycroft said getting into the car and holding him tightly, to then start kissing him hungrily.

“I missed you too,” Greg whispered against his lips. “What happened Myc? You lost weight and are a little pale”.

“Nothing... everything... I am just glad to be back, to know all of you are safe.”

“Mycroft, tell me what happened,” Greg said holding his face between his hands.

“I may have been... ah... detained against my will for a few days...”

“You were kidnapped!!!!!!!!!! How...Mycroft!!!”

“It is ok, I am home now, that is the only important thing, it was really just a few days, the reason I took longer to come back was because I did not want to show up home full of cuts and bruises.”

“I see... so Itzel will never find out about this, right?”

“This never happened, Gregory”

“Of course... Gosh I am happy you are here,” Greg said hugging him tightly and kissing him again, when his phone started ringing. Greg let go of Mycroft reluctantly and checked who was calling. “Sorry, it´s from work, must head back to the office”.

“Do not worry, I understand. I will call you tonight.”

“I will be waiting for that call, Mr. Holmes.” Greg said getting out of the car and heading to the office.


	31. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relationships aren´t easy and certainly, most of the time, they defy logic...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry I know I should have updated yesterday, but I had a busy day at work and completely forgot it was Wednesday lol
> 
> Hope you enoy it :-)

**Chapter 30**

 

Itzel knew the moment Mycroft arrived home; she though it was because of his car, although quiet, made a special noise she had come to recognize.

“Hello, I missed you.” - she said and hugged Mycroft. At that moment she sensed it; Mycroft smelt like Gregory. She backed off of Mycroft slowly, looking into his eyes, feeling flushed. “You are thinner...did the food back there did not agree with you?” she stammered nervously.

What was wrong with her...she should be worried because of Mycroft´s loss of weight...not to mention jealous...but she wasn´t, she was... turned on, she couldn´t help but imagine how the two alphas would look together, both so handsome and strong, kissing, trying to dominate one another...

Smelling Greg on Mycroft shouldn´t excite her in this way; it was so wrong on so many levels, but she couldn´t control her body. She wanted Mycroft now!!! She needed to feel his body rubbing against her, mixing the smell of the three of them. Without thinking, she threw herself to Mycroft, kissing him desperately.

Mycroft couldn´t have predicted this reaction from Itzel. The moment he got home, he realized he smelled like Greg; it wasn´t as if they had done anything more than hugging and kissing.

He could have gone to his Club and change, but he had wanted to see Itzel. Not only for the ordeal he had gone through, but also because, this was the longest they had been apart.

Feeling his omega’s insistent kisses, he stopped thinking and carried her to their bedroom. Once there, he a made quick work of their clothes. In normal circumstances, he would have taken his time making love to her, reacquainting himself with her body after so many weeks apart, but that wasn´t what they needed right now. He pushed her on the bed, then climbed over her, kissing and licking her everywhere he could reach - especially her breasts, pinching one nipple while he licked and bit at the other one.

Itzel was highly responsive, touching every part of Mycroft she could reach; she even used her nails. They were so lost to their passion, that they didn´t notice the marks left by Itzel, but Mycroft would certainly be feeling them for days, whenever his vest rubbed onto the scratches.

“Please… Mycroft, please… fuck me already…” - Itzel moaned, arching her back in an attempt to be closer to her alpha.

Their sex life was very satisfying, but she rarely talked like that, and the idea of her being this turned on - outside of heat, made him wild. Before burying himself inside of her, he touched her core, moaning at feeling how wet she was. Without preamble he thrust into her, and started an unrelenting pace. They were both so close. Mycroft used his thumb to play with Itzel clitoris as he pumped into her, and it took only seconds for her to come undone, followed soon after by Mycroft, who could no longer hold on after he felt her walls trembling against him.

They stayed on the bed, holding each other in silence. Once his knot deflated, Mycroft went to the bathroom, he took a quick shower before returning to Itzel, and delicately carried her to the bathroom to place her underneath the shower. Mycroft washed her clean, applying shampoo to her long hair before softly scrubbing her body. While doing that, he came back to himself fully, the effects of his orgasm fading away. As his head cleared he realized how strange Itzel´s reaction had been; he wished he could read his omega as easily as he did other persons, but sentiment and instinct made it more difficult each day for him to read her. And then it struck him; he had been so insensitive!!! How did he not predict her instincts would kick in… he had been away from home for months and then he returned smelling of Greg, Itzel was probably trying to remove the other´s smell, replacing it with her own.

Once he finished bathing her, he kept both of them under the spray of warm water, facing the shower wall, and in a unexpected show of emotion he moulded his chest to her back, kissed her shoulder and whispered into her ear:

“I am sorry, I know I promised I would wash after spending time with Greg, but I…”

Itzel tensed and before he could continue she calmly said:

“No, need to apologise.”

Mycroft turned her around, tilting her head up using his fingers on her chin.

“Itzel, please look at me. Tell me, are you finding it difficult to control your instincts?”

Itzel was embarrassed; yes, she had allowed her instincts guide her actions, but not in the sense Mycroft believed.

“I am sorry if this seemed like I was trying to erase Gregory from you; that wasn´t the case. I hadn´t seen you for months, is it so strange that I wanted to be intimate with you the moment you arrived home?”

For some reason, Itzel´s calmness irked Mycroft.

“There is no need for you to lie to me.” - he snapped at her.

“Please, Mycroft, let it be, I assure you there is no need for you to take any kind of special measures regarding your scent.”

He grabbed her forearms and shook her a little.

“Tell me the truth, Itzel.” - Mycroft didn´t know what had come over him, but the guilt of knowing he could have hurt his omega emotionally was threatening to consume him. DAMN HIS ALPHA NATURE!!! But he was stronger than that, he wouldn’t succumb and roll over to beg for forgiveness.

“Let me go, Mycroft, you are starting to hurt me.” - Itzel whimpered, trying to escape from Mycroft´s tight hold.

Those words added to the storm inside Mycroft´s head, making him see red, and instead of letting go of Itzel´s arms, he grabbed her tighter.

“STOP IT, stop pretending to be this calm, stoic omega, you aren´t like that. You just proved it with the way we just fucked… you are full of fire and passion. Just tell me, does smelling Greg on me upset you? I assure you I wasn´t intimate with him before coming to you, I rushed here because I wanted to see you, I missed you.”

“No Mycroft, I…”

What was she supposed to do now? She felt ashamed for the way she reacted to Greg´s smell on Mycroft, but having caused this level of distress in her alpha just made her want to comfort him… should she dare tell him…

Looking into his eyes and remembering they had promised never to lie to each other she whispered:

“It is not that, it is just that I… perceiving your smell mixed with Greg´s, it was arousing.”  - Itzel blushed.

For the second time since he arrived home, Itzel had surprised him; he certainly wasn’t expecting that answer, but as soon as those words left Itzel´s mouth, he couldn´t help but imagine the possibilities. He kissed her hard, and dragged her back to bed to possess her again.

After that day, they both avoided the topic, as much as Mycroft wanted to approach it. He knew Itzel wasn´t ready to talk about it, much less to act on her desires. Itzel and Greg had grown close, they were friends and confidants; he was not sure how that happened, but they both cared for each other. Mycroft often pondered why he did not feel his possessive instincts on Itzel flare to life when it came to Greg, even if it was obvious that the other alpha found Itzel desirable and vice versa. Maybe it was because he was sure they would never act on their attraction, they would never betray Mycroft, not even with each other.

But with what Itzel had revealed to him… well, it would not be a betrayal if the three of them were together. Still, he did not have the time to consider everything carefully, especially considering the fact that anniversary of Itzel’s mother's death was approaching.

She always had a tough time dealing with that. For the last three years he had made sure to clear his schedule, to be with her on that day. He had learned the hard way the kind of emotional states she could work herself into if left alone on that day. During their first year of marriage, he came home to find her crying on a nest built with old clothes of her mother, surrounded by at least 20 cookie wrappings. And then, for the next month she put herself on a very strict diet in order to get rid of the weight she thought she had gained for having eaten all those cookies.

Mycroft certainly did not know how to help her; he had tried to convince her to see a therapist, but she refused, which he found highly illogical considering she was a graduate Psychologist. She just said “Dog doesn´t eat dog”. His omega certainly loved her sayings… Anyway, he did what he could, which was being with her, and let nature runs its course. She had improved, but still she refused to talk much about her mother, and on her death´s anniversary, she seemed to let out all the pain she still felt.

Therefore, when his plans were ruined due to a crisis he had to handle himself, Mycroft wanted to hit someone; people could be so stupid! If only they followed his instructions, but no, they refused to listen to someone younger than them. He had to leave his omega alone on the only day of the year she needed him to be there. Hopefully, he would be home around two in the afternoon.

 

*

 

 “Hi.” - Itzel hiccupped.

“Hi, how are you?” - Greg answered worriedly. He knew what was going on, Mycroft had told him a little bit about the situation.

“Not so good… I don´t want to be alone, not today.”

So Mycroft had to go out; Greg pitied the poor soul who had made a big enough mistake to make Mycroft go to the office today. Anyway, he had to make sure Itzel wasn’t alone until Mycroft returned home.

“Have you called Sherlock?”

“No I… No. Could you come over?”

“Itzel I don´t think that is such a good idea.” - It really wasn´t, they had never mentioned it, but it went without saying that Mycroft´s home was a place Greg wasn´t invited to. Besides, it just wasn´t advisable for him to spend time alone with Itzel in a private setting, recently he had been feeling things for her that went beyond friendship, no he just couldn´t do it…

“Please, Greg, please.”

“Ok…”

“Thank you.”

He was such a sucker for those two, they could ask anything of him and he would give in… Better hurry, he would have time to think about his messed up life once Mycroft found him at his home and decided to cut any association with him… Being such a controlling person, Mycroft didn´t react well when an alpha showed any interest on Itzel, but better not think about that.

 

*

 

It took Greg around 45 minutes to arrive at Itzel´s house. Once he arrived, he was glad to see Eric, one of Itzel´s usual security guards. He was a nice man, and they had exchanged a couple of words on the times he had met with Itzel for lunch. If Eric hadn´t been there, Greg was sure it would have taken him an hour to convince the staff that he was invited and that he posed no danger for the lady of the house.

A maid met Greg at the door and led him to a room upstairs, he wasn´t sure if he should follow, he expected to meet Itzel at the kitchen or the living room or any other room that wasn´t _private._

The maid noticed Greg´s hesitance, and she assured him Mrs. Holmes was waiting for him, and that they should hurry because she wasn´t looking too good. So bracing for what was to come, and hoping Mycroft would not get into one of his possessive fits when he saw him there, he followed the maid upstairs and went into the room she pointed him to.

At the moment he entered he was able to sense Itzel´s distress, her pheromones filled the room, making it difficult for him to breathe easily, there was so much sadness… She was laying on the bed, and she looked a right mess. Her hair was tangled, her nose was read and even if her eyes were dry at the moment, they were red-rimmed, showing she had been crying. Without giving it a second thought, Greg climbed into the bed and hugged her, while she grabbed his shirt with both hands and rested her head on his chest.

“Thank you for coming.”

“It´s ok honey. Where is Mycroft?”

“Emergency call, he had to go.”

“Why aren´t you in your bedroom’”

“This is my bedroom”

“You know what I mean.”

“I couldn´t, his smell just makes me remember…”

“He cares for you, he really does.”

“I know, but now it isn´t enough, not for today.”

They lay there in silence, hugging each other, not caring about anything else.

“Greg… I really care for you.”

“I know; I care for you too.”

“I sometimes wonder what could have happened between you and I if we had met in different circumstances.”

“Well you wouldn´t have given me the time of day, that is what would have happened.”

“Of course not, probably you wouldn´t have even noticed me, and in an attempt to draw your attention, I would have made a fool of myself.”

Greg just huffed a laugh and started caressing her back, while she trailed his neck with her nose.

“What are we doing?”

“I don´t know. I just need you, the both of you.”

“So do I.” - Greg mumbled, while grabbing Itzel´s hair and lifting her head to finally kiss her. It was a short chaste kiss, and Greg couldn´t help but whisper against Itzel´s lips - “I want you…”

Surprised by what he was feeling and by how Itzel was reacting, Greg jumped from the bed and left the bedroom, while Itzel just cried herself to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think about this story. What you like and what you do not like, it is always great to have input :-)


	32. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mycroft gets home...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this chapter, it is shorter than the previous ones, but I thought it ends where it is suppoused to. Please let me know what you think, even if you do not like it.

**Chapter 31**

 

“Hey, wake up, you must eat something, I brought you some soup.”

“Greg?” - Itzel mumbled, rubbing her eyes. - “I thought you left.”

“I couldn't leave you alone.” - the alpha answered, caressing one of her cheeks with his thumb.

“Thank you.” - she started to eat and after a few sips she said - “This is really good, you made it yourself?”

“Yes.”

“I can´t cook at all, I am terrible in the kitchen.” 

“Itzel, what I did… what I said…”

“Mycroft has arrived.”

“How do you do that?”

“I don´t know, I can just sense when he arrives at home, it just takes for his car to cross the garage doors for me to know he is here. At first, I thought it was the sound his car made, but he has changed the car, so I do not think that is how I know he is here.”

“What are we going to tell him?”

“About what?”

“Oh, please, stop it, I just hate it when you become the upper-class omega, hiding everything you feel and think. He will notice.”

“He will be thrilled with the idea.”

“How can you be so sure? You know how possessive he can get when other alphas are around you.”

Itzel shrugged.

“I know him; besides, he has never acted as a possessive alpha when it is you I am spending time with.”

“I don´t understand you. Most of the time you are this nice girl, with quite clear ideas of what she wants, of what she thinks is wrong and right, and then, you say or do things like... this.”

“I am not an angel, Greg; in fact, I am the most selfish person you will ever meet; that makes me do certain things in order to keep the persons or things I care about. I try to be good, but I can´t always be. Knowing all that, do you still care? Do you still want me?”

“I am going to hell.”

“Well, you won´t be going alone. I mean, think of Dante´s  _Inferno_... the three of us will be always together, circling among the adulterers.”

“You know what? I don´t care.”

“Good.” - Itzel smiled and extended her hand for Greg to take, which he did, and kissing her knuckles and that is how Mycroft found them.

“Good afternoon.” - Mycroft said, making Greg let go of Itzel´s hand.

“Hi, thought you would be out longer.”

“I wanted to make sure you were doing well” - Mycroft answered, approaching Itzel and giving her a peck on the lips. Then he turned to Gregory, repeating the gesture.

“Thank you for coming.” - Mycroft told him, while holding his hand.

“She called me, I just couldn't leave her all alone.”

For a moment, they remained in silence, thinking about what is wrong with Itzel. She wished she could explain it and get over it, but she just couldn't; she hated feeling that way, weak, defective. She wasn't the first person in the world to lose her mother, so why was it something that still kept hurting her this way…so in an attempt to break the dark mood, she just blurted out: 

“Would you like some soup? Greg made it.”

“No, maybe later, my dear.”

“As you wish.”

Sensing that Itzel still needed some physical closeness, Greg decided it was time for him to leave them alone.

“Well, since you are home, I should be going.”

“No, please stay.” - she asked him. 

“Are you sure, both of you?”

Itzel turned to look at Mycroft, and after a moment of them locking gazes, she turned to Greg and said: 

“Yes, we are sure, but I think we will be more comfortable in our bedroom.” - she took Greg's hand and led him to their bedroom.

She lay down in the middle of the bed and signalled Greg to lay beside her. Meanwhile, Mycroft took off his shoes and jacket and lay on Itzel´s other side. Once the three of them were comfortable, both alphas reached out and hugged Itzel. Mycroft started kissing her neck, while Greg kissed her on the mouth.

“No one will understand this.” - Greg whispered.

“Who cares? Besides, it is not like we will be going around telling everybody.” - Itzel answered. 

“We will make it work, we just have to be discrete.” - Mycroft added.

“I trust you... after all, you are a spy mastermind.”- Greg joked.

“Really, Gregory, where do you get those ideas from?”

“Oh I don´t know, Mr. Minor-Position-in-the-Government.”

Itzel tightened her hold on Greg shirt. 

“Please, don't talk about work.”

“Sorry, love, I didn't mean to distress you.”

“It is ok, I just don´t like to think of how risky both your jobs are.”

They both hugged her tighter and scented her, making her moan.

“I want to see Greg taking you.” - Mycroft whispered on Itzel's ear while locking his eyes with Greg´s.

At that, Itzel whimpered and Greg growled.

“You can´t be serious.”

“Yes, I am. You have no idea how delicious she looks when she is having an orgasm… Pupils blown wide, a blush that covers her whole body, her skin moist with sweat, her nipples as hard as little pebbles, her sex and thighs slick… but I never get to look at her as long as I want since I am otherwise occupied, you know, fucking her… Now I will be able to do it, I will leave to you all the work while I watch…”

“Please… please…”

“Oh, yes, she also looks quite enticing when she is begging for it, don´t you think so?”

“Mycroft, there is no turning back from this. Are you sure? Will you be able to handle watching your omega being taken by another alpha?”

“It is not just any alpha, Gregory... it is you.”

That did not explain anything, but Gregory was only human, and if Mycroft was willing to do this, he would not refuse. He had been dreaming of Itzel for a few months now; each dream left him feeling dirty and ashamed, but he couldn't help it. She had become an important part of his life, and every time he was with Mycroft, he could smell her on him, so his mind had come to associate pleasure not only with Mycroft but also with Itzel, making him want to explore the omega directly… So he pushed his doubts to the farthest corner of his mind and he started kissing Itzel like there was no tomorrow; he only stopped to get rid of their clothes.

“Greg…” - Itzel moaned.

“What is it honey, tell me what you want.”

“Go on my sweet omega, you are allowed to speak freely…”

Itzel sighed at that; it was always a treat when her alpha gave her permission to ask for what she wanted…

“Fuck me Greg, please, I need it, been dreaming about that…”

“What else do you want, my precious omega?”

“You, my alpha, licking and biting my nipples… Please…”

“Such a needy thing, aren't you? You just love to be the focus of attention, don´t you?”

What the fuck!!! Greg could not believe what they were doing, he always imagined Mycroft being a delicate attentive lover to Itzel, but they obviously had a light dom / sub dynamic, where Itzel certainly didn't act like a blushing virgin... He was going to enjoy this so much!!!

“As long as you remember who is in control here Greg…” - Mycroft said holding tightly onto one of Greg´s wrists.

And there it was, that bastard attitude of Mycroft that made Greg's knees weaken, but right know that was rubbing onto his alpha nature in the wrong way… He had to leave, before he challenged Mycroft for his omega… And where did that thought come from?

“No, no, Greg, please don´t go, please…” - Itzel begged when she felt Greg trying to get away, using her arms and legs to keep him above her. “I am yours, my alpha, always will be, but he is the part we were missing” - Itzel whimpered while looking into Mycroft´s eyes.

Mycroft kissed Greg aggressively, leaving him breathless; he then let him go and whispered against his lips: 

“You are mine, both of you.”

“Yes…” - and it was so true, they belonged to Mycroft in body, soul and heart, and the funny thing was Mycroft was not even aware of the extent of his hold over them… the idea of challenging Mycroft for Itzel was just a flitting thought, something conjured by his instincts, because his mind and his heart told him he could never do something like that… he could never be happy without Mycroft, and Itzel would never accept anyone else but Mycroft as her alpha.

What a mess they were in, but wasn't it a glorious mess? And he wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.

They were in the middle of a serious moment, it was defining their relationship, but Itzel couldn't think of anything more but in the way the two alphas looked together, the way Mycroft had kissed Greg… the way Greg had conceded to Mycroft, without actually submitting, at least not in the way she did…

Itzel whimpered…

“You, naughty omega… so turned on by our little fight over you…”

“No, no my alpha…”

“No?” - Mycroft asked grabbing her by the hair - “Then what has got you so excited?”

“You, the both of you kissing…”

“Hmmm, maybe we will put on a show for you another time, but as I said before, right now what I want is to see Gregory fucking you relentlessly…” - Mycroft whispered to her ear, biting her lobe once those words left his mouth. - “Or are you no longer in the mood, Gregory dear?”

Not in the mood? Hell, Mycroft had just kissed the daylights out of him, and Itzel was still wrapped around him; the room smelled of sex as well of Mycroft and Itzel, of course he was in the mood!!! And he proceeded to show them exactly that by kissing Itzel with all he had, while locking his gaze on Mycroft.

“Yes, I thought as much, please proceed…”

The bastard, how could he talk in his normal controlled way, when he was obviously as aroused as Itzel and himself were…

“You are thinking too much…” - Itzel sighed between kisses.

“Sorry love, won´t happen again…” - and it really didn't; Greg´s mind was focused on the fact that he had this gorgeous omega underneath him, and that he was allowed to do to her whatever he wanted, while their lover looked at both of them with hunger…

Greg touched, kissed, licked and bit Itzel´s body to his heart's content; it had been years since he had been with an omega, he had forgotten how their pheromones complimented each other, making everything feel  _brighter_ …

“Why don´t you taste her Gregory…” - Mycroft whispered from behind him, biting his neck…

Yes, he wanted that so much, he just hadn´t been sure he was allowed to… Without delay he approached Itzel´s core and licked her clitoris, while he introduced his fingers into her folds… Sweet and spicy, a mix between her and Mycroft… It was perfect…

“Everything all right my sweet omega?”

“Mmgh…”

“What is that? Big girls use words…”

“I am all right my alpha…”

“Wonderful, because I need your help, come on, open up that beautiful mouth…”

Itzel tried to suppress the whine that comes from inside her, when she realized how exactly her alpha wanted her to help him…

“Now, none of that, you know how much I enjoy the noises you make in bed, don´t try to keep them down.”

“No, I won´t my alpha, I promise… Please let me help you…”

“Such a good omega, willing to do whatever her alpha asks…”

“Yes, please, whatever you want…”

Mycroft smirked and positioned himself over Itzel, placing his knees on either sides of her head, so his omega can suck him off.

“Yes, just like that…”

This was, this was…God, she couldn't describe it, but it was so much better than she had imagined…

He had to fuck Itzel NOW!! God, she looked so sinful sucking Mycroft´s cock… The delicate little lady she was in her everyday life was nowhere to be seen, and knowing he had played a part in driving her into the wild state she was - made him crazy, so without a second thought, he penetrated her with a single thrust, that made her whimper; as a result, Mycroft´s cock went deeper down her throat.

Mycroft turned to look at Greg over his shoulder and he smirked… The bastard just smirked at him…That just spurred Greg on, who started pumping into Itzel with all his might… He was so close, and he could feel Itzel's walls closing insistently around him, signalling her own orgasm was near…

Sensing both his lovers were almost there, Mycroft reached out to Itzel´s clitoris, twisting it in that particular way that always tipped his omega over the edge…Yes there it was, she was coming, at the same time with Greg... yes, it was delicious... the way her walls closed around the cock penetrating her, it was obvious Greg wouldn't be able to hold back once he would feel it...

For all the… Yes, Itzel was so hot and wet and the way her inner walls had squeezed his cock when she came…Greg was coming hard, and the smell of Mycroft´s arousal only added to his pleasure, making his knot appear a little bit faster than normal…

Once both his lovers had come, Mycroft got off Itzel and pulled his own cock, making sure that the proof of his orgasm fell over their joined bodies.

“Marking your territory?”

“Of course, Gregory dear” - Mycroft said, spreading his semen over Itzel´s folds as well as Greg's pubic area and balls.

“I am tired…” - Itzel whispered.

“Yes my dear, hold on a little bit, I will go for a wet flannel so I can clean you up and then you and Greg can lie down in a more comfortable position.” 

“Ok.”

After making sure his lovers were as clean as possible, Mycroft helped both of them to bed and once they were comfortable, he left to the bathroom to take a shower.

Once cleaned and dressed in his pyjamas, Mycroft checked his lovers and noticing they were both deeply asleep, he went down to the kitchen to try out Gregory´s soup; he was starving and Itzel had mentioned it was really good.

 

*

 

“Hi.” - Greg whispered when he noticed Itzel´s eyes fluttered open.

“Hi!” - she answered smiling.

“You ok?” - Greg asked with a little frown over his features.

“More than ok...” - Itzel replied kissing him softly.

Greg wasn´t sure what to say or do, and he just kept looking at Itzel.

“What…?” - the omega asked, and it finally dawned on her - “I like sex, you can´t judge me for that.”

“Not judging, not at all, just pleasantly surprised.” - Greg smiled .

“Glad to hear that” - Itzel yawned, stretching her arms over her head.

Taking advantage of Itzel´s position, Greg grabbed one of her breasts and kissed her nipple.

“Mmmh, that feels nice. But I really need a shower”

“Yeah, me too, let's go; we can change the sheets afterwards.”

Itzel and Greg enjoyed a really nice shower; they did not engage in anything overly sexual, but they kept touching and kissing each other the whole time they spent in the bathroom.

Once they were clean, dried and comfortably dressed in pyjamas, they started changing the sheets, and that was what Mycroft found them doing when he returned to the bedroom, carrying a tray with tea, coffee, toast, marmalade and fruit.

“Oh, thanks Myc, let me help you” - Gregory said, approaching the other alpha and helping him to set the tray on a nearby table, while Itzel finished arranging the bed.

“Are you feeling all right my dear”- Mycroft asked, coming near Itzel and holding her face between his hands.

“Yes, I am all right” - she answered, standing on tiptoes to kiss him.

They made such a lovely picture, the way they looked at each other… Greg tried to not let that affect him, but it was hard, right now he felt like an outsider, looking into this private moment between Mycroft and Itzel… The adoration shining in the omega´s eyes and the way the alpha held her, like he was trying to shield her from everything.

“Come, I am sure you must be hungry” - Mycroft said, breaking the moment.

“Well of course I am, you tired me out”

“Really, Itzel, no need to be crass.”

“What? I did not say anything improper. Right Greg?” - Itzel said nearing Greg and linking her arm with his.

“Not at all, love” - Greg answered, placing a kiss on her nose; she gave him the sweetest smile Greg had ever had directed at him, while Mycroft had come near him and kissed him on the neck. No, he wasn't an outsider, he was a part of this, he was a part of them.


	33. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after and a little more...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy New Year to all of you who haven´t lost faith in me finishing this story lol
> 
> So new year and luckily an improved me, or at least a more organized one. I know how this sotry ends, I just need to actually write it!!! Which I will, I promise!!!!!!!!
> 
> Anyway, thank you to all of you lovely readers and please let me know what you think of this story, I will really really love to hear from you.

**Chapter 32**

 

“Greg, Greg, move over. Please I have to pee.”

“Mmhh??”

 “Oh, move over, you, brutish alpha. I have to pee,” Itzel said giving him a push that finally freed her leg from under him, allowing her to jump over him, rushing to the bathroom.

“Is she always like that in the mornings?” Greg asked rubbing his eyes.

“If she feels the need to use the bathroom, yes,” Mycroft answered with a little smile.

Greg laughed at that and then stretched languidly; noticing the way in which Mycroft was looking at him, he turned on his side and asked: “Are you ok?”

“Yes. I am sorry for my brief lack of control yesterday,” Mycroft said trying to sound apologetic, but failing.

“Don´t worry, I understand,” Greg answered sincerely, getting close to Mycroft and kissing him.

When they broke apart, Greg couldn´t help but bury his nose on the pillow beside him; it smelled of Itzel, and his arousal flared surprisingly fast…

“Need help with that, Gregory dear?” Mycroft asked, straddling his lover and aligning their cocks, moving in a maddening slow pace…

“I… her smell…” Greg said incoherently, since he did not know how to explain the reactions of his body without crossing the line.

“Yes, it is intoxicating isn´t it? I know it is presumptuous of me to say that, since her smell is a result of her essence mixed with mine, but…”

“It is delicious, God, she is delicious…” Greg interrupted Mycroft deciding it was useless to try and control what came out of his mouth, now that he was so aroused.

“Yes, she is. So warm and wet… the feeling of being in her is maddening… I enjoy our coupling, don´t misunderstand me, but the feeling of lube can´t compare to the feeling of an omega´s slick.”

“Yes, that is true, perhaps we should experiment a little…” Greg said with a playful smile, while he pulled Mycroft to him to increase the friction between their cocks.

“You are a devious man, Gregory Lestrade…” Mycroft moaned.

“Can you blame me when I can have both of you?” Greg whispered against Mycroft´s lips.

Mycroft only gave a shaky laugh…

 

Meanwhile, Itzel had been watching both alphas from the bathroom door and she could already feel her slick running down her thighs. She had imagined them together, but seeing them for real surpassed her wildest dreams…

“We have an audience,” Greg whispered to Mycroft.

“Then let’s give her a good show,” Mycroft whispered back, grabbing Greg´s hair and pulling him for a demanding kiss.

Greg kissed back just as forcefully; their love making was never the same, sometimes Mycroft would dominate, other times it would be Greg, or a constant battle of wills in which neither won, but both had a lot of fun.

This time, Greg was not sure how things would be; after all, Mycroft had made it clear yesterday that he was the one in control, but a part of Greg refused to back down, especially in front of Itzel. He took advantage of the moment by turning to look at Itzel as he rolled Mycroft over, keeping their lips locked as he pinned the younger alpha to the bed.

Mycroft exhaled a surprised huff, and before he could regain some control, Greg started kissing him deeply while rubbing Mycroft´s erection against his own.

Itzel was mesmerized by the sight; she could not tear her eyes away from them, they were both gorgeous, and together they were just.... indescribable... they were the hottest thing she had ever seen... as she watched, Itzel’s hands began trailing over her own body, a whimper escaping from her mouth as her hands reached her breasts and nipples, the other hand wondering lower, till she reached her core; she splayed her lips softly with her fingers, and started playing with her clitoris, occasionally letting her middle finger deep into her centre.

“I can smell how wet she is,” Greg groaned against Mycroft´s lips, and he started kissing the younger alpha more forcefully, as if he wanted to devour him.

Mycroft was not idle; he kissed with as much strength, and his hands touched, scratched and kneaded every part of Gregory´s body he could reach.

Remembering just what he and Mycroft had been talking about a few moments ago, he turned to look at Itzel.

“Come here, Itzel,” he said in a commanding tone, one he had never used with Itzel.

That only made Itzel´s arousal increase, and without a second thought, she approached the bed.

With one swift movement, Greg pulled her on the bed, laying her beside Mycroft. He took her hand, which was wet with her own juices, and directed it to their cocks. “Now love, get us wet, cover us with your slick, yes, just like that, don´t stop ‘till I tell you,” Greg directed Itzel, who touched herself and then smeared both alpha´s cocks with her juices, feeling arousal flare into her as never before.

“Thank you, love, that is enough. Now you will look, but not touch yourself, understood? If you find it difficult to comply, grab the headboard. Ok?”

Itzel nodded her head and did as Greg suggested, turning to look at Mycroft, to make sure he was ok with this.

Mycroft directed a small smile at Itzel, he was more than ok with this, the way Greg dominated both of them was so exciting.

Greg started pumping their cocks at the same time, he went slowly, very slowly, he wanted to prolong this moment as long as he could; he was not sure when Mycroft´s dominant side would shine through; he guessed that it would not be too long, considering Itzel was present, and his alpha instincts were bound to kick in at some point...

Mycroft enjoyed the way Greg used his body; he knew perfectly well how to play with him, how to bring him the most intense pleasure and Itzel´s smells and low moans only made the experience better; yet, at some point his inner alpha became restless... he needed to please his omega... so with an almost feral growl, he pushed Greg off himself, and pulled Itzel to him, holding her tightly by her hips and making her sit on his arousal.

Despite being almost out of control, he was still careful with his omega, yes, he would leave finger marks on her hips, waist and thighs because of how much strength he was using to hold her, but he was not forceful when penetrating her, he guided her slowly, until he was completely inside of her. After that, he encouraged her to ride him fast by placing his hands on her waist and setting a pace for her.

Greg looked at his both lovers... it was incredible... He started pumping his own cock... he was so close... Mycroft turned to look at him with a smirk on his lips.

“Why don´t you come over us Gregory?” He said in a predatory way, which just marvelled Greg, considering every other man would have been out of breath by now and unable to form a coherent sentence, much less to pronounce it in such a sinful way.

Greg approached them and positioned his cock, so when he came, his seed would spray over the spot where Mycroft and Itzel were joined. It was also the perfect position, since he only had to lean a bit to be able to kiss Itzel and if he tired a little harder he even could reach her breasts, which he started licking and biting relentlessly once he felt his orgasm was near.

Itzel was already a little hoarse because of all the sounds her alphas had provoked from her... the way they looked at her and touched and kissed her...they were driving her mad with pleasure and now she was so close... she started riding Mycroft faster, chasing her own release and encouraged by the noises her alpha was making. She felt the moment Mycroft came deep inside of her provoking her own orgasm, and almost immediately a second one, when she felt his knot inflating inside of her.

Greg came soon after, been tipped over the age by the delicious sounds made by both of his lovers. His orgasm hit him so hard, he bit hard on Itzel´s shoulder leaving a mark behind.

They fell to the bed completely exhausted but beyond blissed. Once they came down from the haze induced in them by their powerful orgasms, Greg noticed the bite-mark over Itzel´s shoulder. He immediately turned to Mycroft, expecting the other alpha to attack him, but Mycroft just waved his hand leisurely trying to convey that he did not mind.

“It is you Greg, not another alpha,” Itzel mumbled sleepily, echoing Mycroft´s words from the day before, as if that explained anything; Greg just did not understand it, but the other two did, Greg made them whole, he did not take away anything.

This time it was Greg who got up and cleaned his lovers, and once Mycroft´s knot deflated, they all shared a nice shower, and then spent a long time soaking in the bathtub; kissing and caressing each other constantly.

*

“We have to come up with a valid reason for Greg to move in,” Itzel said decidedly, while they ate breakfast.

Greg spluttered his coffee when he heard that.

“Please, Gregory dear, where are your manners?” Itzel said seriously, trying to imitate Mycroft´s haughtiest tone.

Which only made Gregory glare at her playfully.

“As surprised as you seem of the proposal, Gregory dear,” Mycroft said, “I think there is merit to Itzel´s proposal, maybe not move in completely; I understand you are an independent man and value your own time and space, but it will be nice if we could at least spend some weekends together.”

“Yes... that would be nice... but don´t you think it will raise too many questions?” Greg asked, insecurely.

“Not at all; as I said, we will be discrete about this; I am sure that the weekends you do not spend at your apartment you will not go around telling everyone where you will be. We regularly stay inside those days, and my staff are all people who have my whole confidence. Besides, even if we must attend some function or event, I can cover up you coming with us, all I have to do is pull some strings and asked the Yard for extra-security for Itzel and I when we are out and about, and considering your relationships with Sherlock, I am sure they will assign you.”

“I am a D.I. not a bodyguard...” Greg said coldly.

“And a very good one, I could not entrust my safety and that of my wife to a mere constable,” Mycroft answered with a shrug.

Greg laughed at that.

“You’ve had all this all planned, didn’t you?”

“We want you here, Greg, but guess we got ahead of ourselves, we never asked you if you want that, you must know, that... well... you do not even have to share a room with us if you do not want to... you can have your own room as do I, you know, for when you need some space,” Itzel added, afraid they had gone too far and assumed things about Greg.

Greg took her hand tenderly.

“I do want to be here, love, near you, both of you. And I think Mycroft had a good idea, we can try spending some weekends together, see if we can handle living under the same roof without driving each other crazy... so I will bring over a few of my things and place them in one of the many guest rooms I am sure you have... and then we’ll see.”

“That is all we are asking, Gregory.”

Greg smiled at Mycroft and then at Itzel.

“This is not fair, you know? You teaming up against me, you know I can´t deny anything to either of you.”

“That is because you care about us, the both of us,” Itzel teased him, making both alphas laugh, the phrase was quickly becoming a private joke between them.

They stuck to the plan they had come up with; Mycroft placed a few words in the right ears and, before he knew it, the head of Scotland Yard offered Greg´s services to escort the Holmes heir and his wife whenever they had a public event and, under that excuse, Greg spent almost every weekend with them. Of course, they met separately during the week, as they had been doing since things started between them.

It was not so difficult for them to get used to live together, yes, Greg was not as orderly as Mycroft, but neither was Itzel, so it was not such a big shock for Mycroft when he found Gregory´s cup on the piano or when he discovered Greg´s underwear over his slippers.

Greg was not sure what to expect the first weekend he had spent with Mycroft and Itzel; he thought it will be a sex marathon or something like that, but he found himself in a very domestic dynamic. They cooked together, or rather, he cooked while the other two observed him; they watched T.V., listened to music, discussed different topics and even spent a while sitting in the garden, each lost in their own book. At some point, each one was in a different room of the house and somehow it felt... normal.

When Monday came, he did not want to leave; it felt like... abandoning his family, but he sighed deeply and was careful to hide his feelings very well, although once he left the office and returned to his empty flat, he could not help put to fall onto the bed with a heavy thud, and cry like a child.

*

Greg received the call no son wanted to receive. His Mom was in the hospital; the cancer had come back with a vengeance; it was so bad, that her doctor had transferred her to a hospital in London. This had been going on for the past weeks, but his Father hadn´t wanted to bother any of them until he knew for certain what the diagnosis was.

“Hey, Dad,” Greg said, hugging Mr. Lestrade, who had been sitting on a chair with his hands in his hair. His eyes were red from crying.

“Greg, I am sorry for bothering you at work... but they told me I had to do some things... deal with some paperwork... I left her room... but I... I... I can´t leave her alone and I...”

“It´s ok, just go and be with her ok? I will take care of everything else.”

Still, his Dad did not move at all, so Greg helped him to stand up, took him to his Mom´s room, who was heavily sedated, and pulled over a chair so he could sit by her bedside, holding her hand.

“There you are, you stay with her, now do you remember the Doctor´s name so I can find out what there is to do?”

“No... I am sorry Greg... I...”

“Do not worry, I will ask one of the nurses, just stay here.”

“Yes... thank you, son,” Mr. Lestrade said with emotion while holding Greg´s hand for a moment.

Greg directed a little smile to his Dad and left the room, doing his best to hold back his tears; he needed to be strong for his Dad now. He looked up for a nurse who directed him to the administrative offices, so he could make the proper arrangements for her Mom´s stay here. He was in the middle of reading and filling out a bunch of documents which he only barely understood, when his phone rang.

He answered without even looking at his phone:

“Lestrade here,” he said exasperated.

“Greg. Hi. I am sorry to interrupt you, but Sherlock had a fight with sergeant Sally and she...” Itzel said a little shyly because of the way Greg had answered his phone.

“I can´t now, Itzel, I am sorry, let Sherlock deal with Sally or have him come back later, I took a few days of leave!” he said angrily interrupting what Itzel was saying.

“No, I know that... she told him you were called for a family emergency, I just want to know where you are, can I do anything to help you?” Itzel said meekly.

Greg took a deep breath.

“Sorry, love… I am just a little nervous right now. I did not mean to snap at you. I am at St. Bart’s, my Mom… she was transferred here and now I am dealing with the paperwork. I will call you back when I am done here ok? I really need to go now.”

“Of course. Sorry for interrupting you. Take care.”

“Bye,” Greg said distractedly hanging up and going throw one hospital or insurance document after other; they seemed endless, it took him around an hour to read them all. When he was done with that, he had to wait around another hour to meet with the doctor treating his mom, he was worried about his Dad, and wanted to go back with him, but all this had to be dealt with. Luckily, the wait was worth it; it was great when the Doctor finally talked with him and informed him he was optimistic about his mom being candidate to receive a different treatment than the one she had received before. The new treatment was less aggressive and the Doctor was very optimistic about the way his mom will react to it. unfortunately for Greg and his whole family, it was a very expensive treatment. Greg was not sure how they will pay for it, still he told the doctor to go ahead, money was of no relevance if it meant his Mom getting well.

Finally he returned to his Mom´s room, surprised to hear voices and even... his Dad laughing?!?! He stayed standing by the door, trying to listen in.

“No. Mr. Lestrade, I swear I can´t cook, I am only good at baking those cookies.”

“Well, these are very good cookies sweetheart. And the soup was great, almost as good as the one my Martha cooks.”

“That must be because Greg was the one who cooked it.”

“So... Greg cooks often for you and your alpha?” Mr. Lestrade asked slyly.

“Yes, as I told you Greg is a very dear friend of us,” Itzel answered with a sincere smile.

At that precise moment, Greg decided to walk into the room. He felt a little guilty for overhearing their conversation, and also for the way he had been to Itzel on the phone, he had no excuse, except that he was too worried and busy...

“Hi, Greg. I am sorry for intruding; I just thought you and your Dad could do with something to eat. Here I brought you fish and chips, there is a soda and coffee and cookies...” Itzel said, getting up as soon as Greg came in, handing him a bag.

Greg drew her closer and hugged her lightly.

“Thank you love. Sorry about earlier on the phone...”

“It´s ok. I understand, it was not the best moment for me to call. How are you?”

“Much better, thank you,” Greg answered unconsciously leaning closer to her. Gosh!!! He wanted so much to kiss her and scent her; that always helped him to calm down.

Mr. Lestrade cleared his throat as discretely as he could, he was not sure what was going on, but he thought it could not be good if one of the nurses or doctors walked in and saw his unbonded son hugging a bonded omega in such a way... it was not improper... but it showed familiarity...

“Dad... so you met Itzel, she is the friend I talked Mom and you about, the one who helped me choose your Xmas presents,” Greg said nervously.

“Yes, I gathered as much,” Mr. Lestrade answered smiling. “I am glad to see you are no longer alone in this big city; your Mom and I constantly worry about that. It is good to have friends you can rely on in case of an emergency.”

“Yes, yes of course,” Greg said.

Itzel smiled lightly at Greg, and after holding his hand for a little while, she let go of him, sitting again where she had been.

“What did the Doctor tell you? When will they have Martha off the sedatives?” Mr. Lestrade finally asked.

“Tomorrow. They will begin a new treatment, the Doctor says he is almost 100% sure it will really help Mom.”

“Good, good, that is good,” Mr. Lestrade said, holding his wife´s hands tenderly. “What about side effects and... expenses...”

“Well, the Doctor said the side effects of this treatment are milder... and about the other, do not worry, we will take care of that when the time comes. Let’s just focus on being here for her.”

“Yes... I called your brother and your sister... they said they will arrange things to come next week, you know with work and the kids, it is not easy for them.”

“I know, Dad, I will call them later, tell them there is no need for them to come. I mean, yes they can come and visit mom, but you and I can take care of the rest, right?” Greg said standing behind his Dad and placing his hands on his shoulders.

“Yes son, of course,” Mr. Lestrade answered, patting one of Greg´s hands.

“I was telling your Father you must include me in the rounds to look after your Mother. I can be here at least for as long as it will take you to shower and take a nap. Knowing you, I am sure you will like to be here as much as possible, and I bet so will your Father. Please Greg, let me help you.”

“I thought I asked you to call me Ralph sweetheart. And I also told you your alpha may not agree to that.”

“Mycroft will not mind, Ralph, you can be sure of that, if you do not believe me, I can call him now, or Greg can call him.”

“Itzel...” Greg started in a serious tone.

“Oh, don´t ‘Itzel’ me, Greg. How good will you be for your Mom if any of you gets ill?”

“Hate it when you have a point,” Greg said scratching the back of his neck.

“I always have a point, Greg. You should have learned that by now,” Itzel said smiling mischievously. “Ralph, would you do me the honour of coming to my house now? You can take a shower and a short nap there, and then a car will bring you back. The ride from here to there takes only a few minutes. Please?”

“Has anyone ever told you _no,_ sweetheart?” Ralph asked shaking his head.

“Not that I remember,” Itzel answered winking at him. “Are you ok with this, Greg?” she asked, suddenly nervous, unsure if she had overstepped her limits.

“It is fine, love, thank you”, he said coming near her and kissing her forehead, he breathed deeply to catch her scent and finally turned to his Dad. “Go Dad, I will be here, I will call you if there is any change.”

“Thanks, son”, Ralph said, pulling his suitcase form under the hospital bed, then after patting Greg´s back, he went out, offering his arm to Itzel, who took it graciously. They walked to the parking lot and made small talk during the whole ride; once at the Holmes residence, Itzel showed him to his room, and left him alone, telling him she will be in the living room for when he was ready to go back to the hospital.

Ralph was no fool and he had exceptional sense of smell... he had caught two scents on his son... both were similar; someone less attentive would have not noticed the difference, but he did. He had no idea what kind of a relationship Greg was in, but he certainly was close to Itzel AND her alpha... He was very curious to meet the elusive Mr. Holmes. Itzel had not said much about him, and neither had Greg, but it had not escaped Ralph the way their expressions softened whenever they mentioned him, even in passing. Mr. Holmes must be an extraordinary person to have gained the affections of Itzel and Greg...

*

“Hello, dear wife,” Mycroft said, entering the living room and placing a peck on Itzel´s lips.

“Hello, dear husband”, she greeted him with a smile. “How was your day?”

“As always”, he answered pouring himself a scotch.

“That bad?” Itzel said raising her eyebrows.

“Forgot who I was talking to”, Mycroft said with a self-deprecating smile, sitting beside her on the sofa. “How is Greg? I tried to make some time to call him, but I was very busy.”

“He is worried, as expected, but he is very optimistic, the doctor gave him a favourable diagnosis for his Mom, he mentioned something about a new treatment... I think it is expensive... he did not discuss it with his Father while I was there.”

“He will not accept money from me, dear wife”, Mycroft said guessing where Itzel´s comment was heading.

“I know he will not take money from you, or me, for that matter... but we must think of a way to help him.”

“We will, do not worry. So far, I am glad you offered him and his Father our hospitality.”

“I am glad they accepted. I thought they will put up more of a fight... that just shows how tired they really were.”

At that moment, they heard a firm knock on the door, and then Mr. Lestrade walked in.

“Itzel, I am sorry, I only expected to sleep for a while and look, it is already night...” he stopped abruptly noticing Itzel was not alone, he looked at Mycroft extending his hand and saying, “Hello, you must be Mr. Holmes, I can´t tell you how grateful I am for your wife´s generosity, I hope it has not caused you any inconvenience.”

“None at all, Mr. Lestrade, I am glad we were of help to you and Gregory, he is a dear friend of us,” Mycroft answered, getting up and shaking Mr. Lestrade’s hand.

“Yes, so your lovely wife has told me. Thank you for having my Greg´s back, and now I will be leaving, I do not want to be in your way.”

“This is your house for as long as you want, Mr. Lestrade. The invitation was not only for today, I understand your wife will undergo a long treatment, and our home is better located than Gregory´s apartment, not to mention here you will have warm food at the ready as well as a car for whenever you need to go somewhere.”

“Oh, I could not possibly...”

“Please Ralph, you did not believe I only meant for you to come for a day? This is your home. I will be more at peace knowing you will be staying here, otherwise I will constantly worry if you are resting and eating properly, or fearing you could have an accident whenever you rush from the hospital to the Greg´s apartment and back again,” Itzel said getting up and holding Ralph´s hand between hers.

Ralph sighed.

“Once again, sweetheart does anyone has ever told you _no_?”

“But of course, meet the man who constantly says _no_ to me,” Itzel joked pointing at Mycroft.

“Oh, I doubt that, sweetheart. He may say _no_ , but I bet you always get away with what you want.”

Itzel just smiled sadly and lowered her eyes, thinking of that which she wanted more than anything and will never have... she then shook her head and said, “Well, I guess all omegas have their alphas wrapped around their little fingers.”

“They certainly do... and talking about omegas...”

“I will tell the driver to be ready to take you to the hospital. Here is his phone number so you can call him whenever you need him,” Mycroft said handing a card to Mr. Lestrade. “And as my wife just said, this is your house, Mr. Lestrade and you are welcome to make use of it as you see fit; please make sure to also say that to Gregory, he tends to forget the high regard in which my wife and I hold him.”

“I will tell him, Mr. Holmes, you can be sure of that, and please, call me Ralph.”, he said smiling to Mycroft, then he turned to Itzel. “Well, sweetheart I will see you soon, and once again, thank you.”

“Oh no, you will not leave just like that, come with me to the kitchen; you must take some food and tea and coffee and please make sure Greg rests a little. I will come by the hospital tomorrow morning.”

“You do not have to, I am sure you have other things to do,” Ralph said.

“I think you just pointed out how my wife always gets away with what she wants,” Mycroft pointed out.

“I did, didn´t I? Well Mr. Holmes, you are a very lucky alpha,” Ralph said in a light-hearted tone.

“Please, Ralph, call me Mycroft,”, the younger alpha said in the warmest tone Itzel had heard him use with a stranger.

“ _Mycroft_ it is then. Thank you. I will be leaving now, good night.”

“Good night,” Mycroft said, extending his hand to the older alpha.

“Bye, Ralph, call if you need anything,” Itzel added hugging Ralph

“Thank you, sweetheart, sleep well.”

*

 

Greg was at the hospital, glad Itzel had convinced his Dad to leave for a few hours; he really needed it, being in the hospital was not helping his mood; he noticed how his Dad was barely hanging there when he arrived. His Dad was a strong, proud man, and believed he had to shoulder everything by himself, like when Greg and his brothers had been kids; he seemed to forget they were all adults know and could help him handle things.

Thank God Itzel had been there to distract his Dad, and once again Greg felt guilty for the way he had talked to her on the phone... He had assumed she had phoned him because of Sherlock, it never crossed his mind Itzel could be worried about him... This strange relationship the three had embark upon confused the hell out of him... He still found it hard to believe he was a part of them... and not just some sex toy they have chosen to spice up their married life...

Greg´s thoughts were interrupted by the ring of his phone.

“Hi, Myc.”

“Gregory. How are you?”

“Confused,” Grey said honestly.

“It is to be expected. Your Mother had not shown any signs of relapsing before. But Itzel told me the diagnosis is good.”

“Yes, yes, it is... still, seeing her in the hospital brings back too many sad memories... Oh, by the way, I hope you do not mind Itzel taking my Father to your house.”

“Of course not Gregory. This is your house too.”

“I... thank you Myc.”

“No need for that, you would be there for us too if we were in your place. Why does it surprise you so much that we are willing to help in any way we can.”

“I am not sure... it just does.”

“Have we done something to make you doubt your place with us?”

“No, it is just hard for me to assimilate... you two are bonded to each other... I am the... third wheel, as they say.”

“We both care a lot for you.”

“I get paid for being with you.”

“You know that is for appearances’ sake, Gregory. Besides, when we go to parties, our hosts usually expect you to function as part of the surveillance of the place and give you tasks to perform. It would be unfair for you to not receive a retribution for your work.”

“I do not care, I do it gladly because I know that in that way I am protecting the both of you...”

“Greg you are important for us in very significant and deep ways, you are not only a distraction for us.”

“Thank you, I needed to hear that. Hey is Dad still there?”

“No, he left just a few minutes ago, I thought to call you before he got there.”

“Myc, if it is too much of a bother...”

“It is not, we are happy to help you. And really, I want to see you try to convince Itzel otherwise”.

“Yes... I think I will pass, I have other things on my plate right now...”

“Then focus on those things, we will take care of the rest.”

“Thank you, see you tomorrow... or not, not sure how things will go here.”

“As I said, do not worry about anything else but looking after your Mother, we will stay in touch by phone, and maybe we can meet for lunch or dinner, whenever our schedules permit it.”

“Yes, I would like that.”

“Good, I will leave you now, I am sure your Father will be there soon. Itzel sent you dinner and she will be there tomorrow morning.”

“Ok, thank you. Bye Myc, say good night to Itzel for me.”

“I will, call us if you need us.”

“Of course. Bye.”

“Good night, Gregory”.


	34. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bonds that join Itzel, Mycroft and Greg keep getting stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!!!!!!!!! Yes I am still here and I will finish this story, no matter what. If you had made it this far, thank you!!! It means a lot to know someone out there is willing to use their time reading my story. As always, I would like to know what you think about it, so leave a comment if you want ;-)

“You are up early, dear wife,” Mycroft observed when he felt Itzel coming inside the shower with him.

 

“Yes, must take breakfast for Greg and Ralph. I will even try to convince Greg to come home and take a nap,” Itzel said wrapping herself around Mycroft and kissing his back.

 

“Mmm,” Mycroft answered noncommittally.

 

“Okay, what does that mean?” Itzel asked smiling.

 

“Just be careful and do not expect a warm welcome from Mrs. Lestrade.”

 

“Of course not, dear husband, really, I understand she is sick and most probably in pain, I know she is not up to socialize, I just will be there to help.”

 

“Well, yes, but that is not what I meant. Omegas can be even more territorial and possessive than the worst of alphas.”

 

“Oh my God, Mr. Holmes!!! I have never heard you make a more sexist comment”, Itzel said giggling.

 

“My apologies, but from what I could observe from Gregory and Mr. Lestrade, it is obvious the kind of person Mrs. Lestrade is, she is traditional and conservative, and her family is her treasure; she will do anything to protect them from any real or imaginary threat. And you, my dear, are a threat, you are a bonded omega who is way too close to her boy and who has already charmed her husband.”

 

“Mycroft, please. That is just nonsense. For all your super deductive powers, I think this time you are wrong. Mrs. Lestrade is sick, the last thing she would be worrying about is poor little me trying to pervert her little boy,” Itzel joked.  
                                                                           - - -

Fucking Holmes, why do they always have to be right? _Because the rest of the population were goldfish_ , was the answer Itzel heard in her head, in Sherlock´s voice, obviously.

 

When she arrived at the hospital, Mrs. Lestrade was already awake, proper introductions were made, and from that moment, Itzel felt nothing but hostility from Mrs. Lestrade. It was not open or obvious, the two alphas were completly ignorant of the war of wills between the two of them. Although who was she kidding? There was no war, Mrs. Lestrade had the perfect passive-aggressive attitude, Itzel stood no chance…

 

And now, here they were. The two alphas had left the room since the doctor had wanted to talk with them. None of them had touched their breakfast, they had not even taken a sip of coffee, even if both were dying for it, and all because Mrs. Lestrade had used every trick in the emotional blackmail book to keep them hovering by her side…

 

Ok, she will not win on Mrs. Lestrade’s game, but she loved Greg too much to let petty jealousy and omega “bravado” stop her from helping him out in these difficult moments.

She left the magazine she had been reading aside and neared Mrs. Lestrade’s bed.

 

“Are you leaving, dear? Thank you for coming and tell your alpha I appreciate he allowed you to give us a hand.”

 

Itzel breathed deeply and tightened her hands into fits to stop herself from snapping at the other omega and tell her she did not need anyone’s permission to be here.

“Mrs. Lestrade,” Itzel said calmly, trying not to think of how every nurse and doctor were sweetly invited to call her _just Martha_ , while Itzel was not extended that courtesy – okay, no time for that, focus Itzel, she told herself. “Mrs. Lestrade,” she began again, “we are both grown-ups, I see no reason to pretend you like me or want me here. But the truth is I care for Greg – very, very much, he has been there for me in difficult times, and I will not bail on him now to avoid an uncomfortable situation. You know as well as I, they need support, or they will work themselves out till they fall over in exhaustion and get sick. So you do not have to like me, you do not even have to acknowledge me, all I am asking is for you to not sabotage every attempt I make to have them eat or rest. I am not attempting to drive them away from you, okay? You know that right now they do not care about anything else but your well-being. So, do we have a deal?”

 

“I do not believe for one second this _good girl_ act you are playing, missy. You have designs on my Greg, which should shame you, since you are bonded. My Ralph is too good to see it, but as I said, you can´t fool me.”

 

“My alpha trusts me, he knows perfectly well the kind of relationship I have with Greg”

 

“Of course, I have heard the rumours, about what you, posh people, do… how you take lovers left and right and have no respect for your bonds.”

 

“You know nothing about us, you could not possibly understand, you…” Itzel stopped herself mid-sentence and took a deep breath, again. “You can think of me whatever you want, but it is sad how little you know your own son.”

 

“Oh, no, missy, do not turn that on me, I know my Gregy, he is a good boy, hardworking and honest, but sometimes loneliness make us do stupid things.”  


“You are right… But the truth is, at this moment you have no one else to rely on, so think of me as hired helped or something like that. I am not trying to compete with you for their attention or affections. I just want to help Greg.”

 

“Yes, you are a necessary evil.” Mrs. Lestrade said directing a calculating glance at Itzel. “Fine, I will let you help, but you better keep your distance from my Greg, I will not have you making him the object of gossip among the hospital personal.”

 

Itzel wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but she knew when to collect her earnings, for small that they were, and kept her mouth shut.

 

Once Greg and Ralph came back, Mrs. Lestrade urged them to eat something, and she “graciously” let Greg go and take a nap.

 

For the next days, they established a good routine. Itzel would arrive early, bringing coffee and breakfast; after that, Greg – who took the night-shifts – would go home to shower and take a nap. She would stay with Ralph and help any way she could; Greg would come back with lunch. Itzel would stay with them until it was time for her to go to the Centre. Ralph would accompany her and then the driver would take him home so he would take a bath and nap. By the time the driver took Itzel home, Ralph would already be waiting at the door with dinner for Greg. Ralph would stay with Greg and Mrs. Lestrade for a couple of hours and then returned to sleep, except on the nights Mrs. Lestrade had a stronger reaction to the treatment.

 

Occasionally, when Greg went home, Mycroft was there, waiting for him. They did not do much more than talk and kiss and snuggle, Greg was too worried and tired for anything else… and each second he spent with Mycroft, he could not help to think that the younger alpha had a very wrong perception of himself, he thought he was cold and distant and unable to love… but he had a caring and nurturing streak wider than the Atlantic Ocean.

 

They were both now in bed, Mycroft was sitting with his back on the headboard, going through some files on his laptop, while playing with Greg´s hair, since the older alpha was using his leg as a pillow.

 

“You are thinking too loud, Gregory.”

 

“No, I am not, I can´t… I am just a normal boring goldfish, we can´t think loud, or so Sherlock says.”

 

Mycroft huffed. “My little brother has much to learn about goldfish, or maybe not; after all, Dr. Watson has proven to be a very interesting specimen.”

 

“John would skin you alive if he heard you taking about him that way.”

 

“I have no doubt about that, I did point out he is an interesting specimen.”

 

Greg giggled. “You are really something, Mr. Holmes.”

 

“Thank you; now, Gregory, will you tell me what is in your mind?”

 

“Money. Yeah; I know very pedestrian. But us, commoners, worry about that constantly.”

 

“You do not have to. You know that, but I also know you will not accept resources from me, so I will not offend you by offering you any economic help. So, let’s talk about it, what options have you considered to obtain the money you need to cover your Mother´s hospital bills?”

 

“Well, a mortgage over my parents’ house is out of the question; they are still paying off the one they got after my sister´s husband lost his job and they had to help them pay their many debts. For obvious reasons, I know my sister can´t afford to help. My brother just opened his restaurant, so even if he is doing well, I know he has not much to spare. I already requested a loan at work, and my medical insurance covers certain basic things, but still… I am a lot of thousands of pounds short.”

 

“Any property of value or heirlooms you could sell?”

 

“None,” Greg said, rubbing his face with both hands. “Dad used them the first time mom was diagnosed with cancer, not that there were too many of them to begin with, we just had a painting and some jewellery. Oh, I can sell my motorbike and my electronic devices, some of my furniture…”, Greg said pensively.

 

“What about your apartment?”

 

“What about it?”

 

“You could sell it.”

 

“Oh, and where will I live then?”

 

“Gregory, you practically live here, you only visit your apartment on Friday nights to pick up your mail and make sure everything is in order.”

 

“No, that is just out of the question. I can´t sell my apartment, I just can’t.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I know it is not a mansion like this, but it is my home Mycroft, it is… it is my patrimony, all my savings went into it.”

 

“Not all of your savings. Gregory, I am not your parents, no need to lie to me.”

 

“Fine, so most of my savings went into helping my brother and sister.”

 

“That is better, Gregory. Now, I know that apartment means independence for you, but it certainly is not _home_ for you. This is your home now.”

 

“Don´t you ever get tired of being right?”

 

“No, not at all,” Mycroft said, tapping Greg´s nose.

 

“So if I sell my apartment, where I am supposed to live? I mean, I know I live here now, but having my apartment is a good cover.”

 

“Yes, and your Mother´s situation, as unfortunate as it is, will be a good cover now. Our close acquaintances, as well as your co-workers know that – apart from your regular obligations as detective inspector – you have been assigned to Itzel´s security. So now, due to your need of extra income, it is only logical you sell your apartment and accept an offer from me, you will occupy the guard house that is in the premises of the mansion and help in the supervision of the regular surveillance team that work here.”

 

“And just like that, you solved my problem,” Greg said pensively. “Myc, don´t you worry people will question my stay here?”

 

“Gregory dear, people have been questioning your connection with the Holmes Family since the first time we met for lunch. I do not care what they think and, in the long run, the rumours of you being my lover do not affect my image, as distasteful and offensive as it can be to you and your principles, it actually benefits me, helps me fit among certain persons better, since they think that makes us equals, in a way.”

 

“And Itzel?”

 

“No doubt she heard the rumours, and even had questions directed at her... but she knows how to handle it, do not worry, Gregory. She and I, both, were brought up to conduct ourselves among the hypocrisy and double standard of this world.”

 

“Don´t you get tired of it?”

 

“We are used to it, Gregory, we know no other way of life. Do you get tired of always being so open and carry your heart on your sleeve?”

 

“Yes, sometimes... but I get what you are trying to say. Everybody gets tired of their life now and then.”

 

“Exactly,” Mycroft said pulling Gregory to him and kissing him deeply, forcefully... oh how much he had missed him...

 

“Take me. Now,” Greg said urgently, tearing Mycroft´s clothes.

 

They spent the whole afternoon claiming each other, as a reaffirmation of life, but most of all, as a way to ascertain than even if they got tired of their lives, they certainly did not get tired of each other.

 

***

 

After a month in the hospital, Mrs. Lestrade was finally sent home; she still needed regular check-ups, but the doctor assured Mr. Lestrade and Greg that there was no need for her to stay longer, and that being at home would help her more.

 

During the time Mrs. Lestrade was in the hospital, Greg´s siblings had visited as often as they could, which was not much; but it was enough for both of them to take an instant dislike of Itzel and distrust his relationship with her. That was why Greg was not surprised when both had insisted on introducing to him this or that friend “who was available and was just perfect for him.”

 

Obviously, the day his mother was released from the hospital, the whole Lestrade Family was there and travelled together back to their parents’ house.

 

Upon arriving there, everything became total chaos. Many relatives and friends were already waiting for them, and what should have been a quiet moment for them to help their mom settle in, turned into a party. Obviously, in the end, it had only been Greg and his Dad, since everybody excused themselves because they had work or school or other obligations next day.

 

Thankfully, before leaving, Greg´s sister had taken care of helping their mom bathe and lay down to sleep.

 

It took Greg and his Dad a few hours to finish cleaning and making all the leftovers fit in the refrigerator.

 

“I am knackered,” Greg said plopping beside his Father on the couch.

 

“I feel more tired than when we were at the hospital,” Ralph said surprised.

 

“Yeah... Was to be expected, really, back there we did not have to clean or play hosts. As much as I am grateful for their concern, I am glad they are all gone,” Greg added with a groan.

 

“Yes, hopefully now we will be able to get back to our normal routine,” Ralph said taking his shoes off and putting his slippers on, with a sigh of satisfaction.

 

Greg smiled at him, his Dad was a simple man, of simple tastes.

 

“I liked seeing you both every day, despite the circumstances.”

 

“Mhm, so did we, Greg. You know, how you always hint at the fact that your siblings give us a load of problems and make us worry too much? The truth is you were the one who worried me the most.”

 

“What? Why?” Greg asked surprised.

 

“Your brother and sister... all they need to solve their problems is money, basically. But with you... that was not the case; all the money in the world can’t drive loneliness away.”

 

“Dad, you can´t say I am lonely just because I am not bonded,” Greg protested.

 

Ralph directed a knowing smile at his son. “Greg, if you were different, I could have conformed to the idea that you were happy alone, that you are like many of the young people today who enjoy their solitude, who travel and go out and enjoy themselves by themselves. But you are not like that.”

 

“Well, I am learning. I am alone and I am happy, many of the persons who were here to welcome Mom said how well and happy I looked. At some point of my life, I could have thought I needed to find the one perfect person for me to be happy, but I realized I was wrong.”

 

“Yes, because there was not one perfect person for you, but two,” Ralph deadpanned.

 

Greg spit the gulp of tea he had just drank, he wondered how his Dad always managed to say the most shocking things just when Greg was eating or drinking. “What?” he squeaked.

 

“Oh, Greg, have you never heard that the devil is wise because he is old, not because he is the devil? Son, I have seen a lot of things along my life and I have developed an excellent sense of smell. I can smell them on you, Itzel AND Mycroft, just as I could smell you on both of them. Don´t look so scared, I do not think anyone else has noticed it, people tend to turn a blind eye to that they do not want to see.”

 

“Mom?”

 

“No, she has no idea, and I will not tell her. She is a wonderful woman, but she is too set in her ways, so even if she wants you to be happy, she will not accept your situation, at least not now. I just wanted you to know that I know, and that I am happy for you. The path you chose is not easy, you will never be able to openly express your love for them, but you will be together, and that is more than you expected, am I wrong?”

 

“Yes... I expected to be the eternal bachelor... and now I have two persons who care for me... I have a home of my own.”

 

“Well, I am really not surprised, you have always had a big heart, it was obvious one person would not be enough for you to bestow your love on,” Ralph teased him.

 

“I... I am in love with both of them!!!” Greg said surprised. When the hell had that happened? He knew he loved Myc, but Itzel?

 

“So, you weren´t sure?” Ralph asked jokingly.

 

“Well I... since last Xmas I knew I was in love with Myc, but with Itzel... Bloody hell!!!”

 

“Don´t worry so much, she is in love with you too. Really, you young people, embarking into torrid affairs, without realizing you are hopelessly in love with each other. Tell me Greg...how...”

 

“Yes?” Greg insisted when his Dad became quiet.

 

“Well, please do not take this the wrong way. You are a very sentimental man, you are not of the kind who jump into bed with someone unless there is some kind of emotional connection, and you are not shy at expressing your feelings. How is it possible you have been with Mycroft and Itzel for months now, sharing a house... sharing a... a... bed, and yet you have not told them how you feel about them?”

 

Greg scratched the back of his head and adopted a faraway look. “I first met Myc. I was attracted to him immediately... we started going out, as friends, we flirted, but nothing serious took place. One day I found out he was married, I was furious and confronted him, told him I did not want to see him again. After that, I met Itzel, she came to tell me it was ok for me to _date_ her alpha. I could not believe it, there was this young attractive omega telling me...” Greg sighed. “I could not stop thinking about the whole thing, and I convinced myself it would not be wrong to go out with Mycroft, that we were both adults and knew what to expect of such a relationship, sex and companionship, but not love... So, we started a relationship placing schedules and conditions, as if it were a business deal. Somehow, Itzel came into the equation too, we sort of became confidants... friends... and next thing I know I am in a relationship with the two of them. The most fulfilling relationship I ever had, where I am taken care of, and listened to and respected... they never question my work schedule or if I go out with my friends... they understand when I am in a gloomy mood and don´t want to talk... and now, they did all they could to make things easier for me... How not to love them?”

 

“So this time around you did everything backwards, you first had sex with them and then you realized you were in love with them?”

 

“Oh, my God Dad!!! You just... just... just can´t say things like that to your offspring. You will traumatize me!!” Greg said covering his face and letting his head rest on the back of the couch.

 

Ralph chuckled at his son attitude. “Well, I will not mention anything about sex to you, never again, I am just going to say this: I am glad for you, Greg, and though few people will understand, don´t give up on what you have, true love is a rare gift.”

 

“Thanks, Dad,” Greg said sincerely.

 

***

 

Once Greg got back to work, he hardly left the office for a fortnight. There were a lot of things with which he had to update. Not to mention that the superintendent had decided that since Greg had have so many “free days”, he should be handling the worst and most taxing cases. Which meant, long hours in cold and insecure locations, mountains of paper-work, noisy reporters who got in the way – and a certain consulting detective who, for all the help he provided, also created two times as much trouble.

Greg looked forward for the weekly free day he got. Mycroft and Itzel were very considerate and let him sleep and relax to his heart content; unfortunately, this week they had to attend an event at the Holmes Estate. There was no way they could refuse, and that meant that for the weekend Greg will be _working_ as their body guard. Not that he minded, it felt good to know he could do something for them... protect them... yet, he hated it when they went to the Holmes Estate, he was in constant fear of Holmes Senior discovering them or Sherlock blurting out something...

 

***

“This is boring... boring... boring... boring...” Sherlock said behind Itzel; they were standing at the entrance, greeting guests as Siger had asked them, since there had been some problem with the catering service and he had to look into it.

 

She sighed. “I know, Sherlock, pointing that out does not make it any more entreating.”

 

“Oh, but it does,” Sherlock said with a smirk. “It is always fun to annoy you.”

 

“I love you too, Sherlock,” Itzel said with a roll of her eyes.

 

“Ok, I am leaving, an omega is trying to flirt with John, I have to go and save him.”

 

“No, Sherlock you can´t leave me, please!!!” Itzel said to the air, since Sherlock was already gone.

 

When the last guest arrived, Itzel was happy to finally be able to sit for a little while; Mycroft had already disappeared to talk some business with this or that important person, but Greg made sure she had something to eat and drink, and talked to her for a little while, making her laugh all the time.

 

After about an hour, Mycroft had already finished negotiating whatever secret business he and his Father were conducting using the party as a screen, and took her to the dance floor.

 

“Are you done planning to take over the World?” she joked.

 

Mycroft just rose an eyebrow and directed her one of his rare smiles. They danced for as long as it was socially acceptable, being the Holmes’ Heir meant Mycroft had to dance at least once with his Mother and other relatives. He was supposed to even dance with Sherlock, but they all knew better than to try and make Sherlock dance with someone else who wasn´t John.

 

So, for that time, Itzel took her place somewhere near the bar, and made small talk with the guests who came her way.

 

“Lady Irene, good afternoon. How have you been?” Itzel asked with perfect manners, even if she could not stand the older alpha. Lady Adler just loved to mock and insult everybody, of course she did it in a very refined and witty way, so no one could ever retaliate. And even if she stood low enough to be considered rude and coarse, no one will retaliate either, because Lady Adler knew the secrets of everybody who was somebody in this little world of theirs.

 

That was her business, along with providing... company... to high class alphas; even if everybody pretended that she had restored her family´s fortune using her horses, which were known to be the finest in the country.

 

“Apparently not as well as you my dear girl,” Lady Irene responded after observing Itzel for a few seconds. “Tell me, how does a little omega like you have two strong alphas wrapped around her little finger?”

 

“Excuse me? I certainly do not know what you mean, Lady Irene,” Itzel said a tad defensively, and because of how nervous that comment had made her, she added: “As you said, I am a little omega, a bonded one at that. I lack the ability to control my husband, as you have pointed out many times in the past. So how come you say I have an influence on not one but two alphas?”

 

“You are right my dear girl, I have often said you were no match for our Mycroft, but it seems I was wrong. As they say, it is always the quiet ones,” Lady Adler smirked.

 

“I assure you, your comments are not correct and certainly I do not appreciate them,” Itzel said offended.

 

“Oh, but you should not get angry, after all I am complimenting you,” Lady Adler said as if she were trying to pacify a toddler who was throwing a temper tantrum.

 

“Really? It sounded more like slander, considering that among your _acquaintances_ , there is only one way an omega can control an alpha,” Itzel said looking at Lady Adler with contempt.

 

The older alpha lowered her eyes for a second, almost with sadness, and then, looking directly into Itzel eyes, she said: “Yes, but you are not one of my _acquaintances,_ dear girl. I envy you, so much love… Let me tell you a personal story. Many years ago, I made a bet with a good friend of mine. I wanted to convince him of refusing his parents and leave with me in France, where he could pursue a career as a pianist. He did not listen to me and married the alpha his parents chose for him. He was hopeful his marriage will be different, since his alpha had filled his head with pretty words, so we made a bet, if any of the arranged marriages among our family or friends brought true happiness and love to the persons involved; I would give him my best mare.”

 

“That sounds like an incomplete bet, was there a time frame? What did he have to give you if he lost?”

 

“No, there was no time limit to our bet, I guess we both assumed it will go on till we were both alive. And since I was sure there was no way he could win, I did not ask for anything in return. At the end, his marriage was like all the others, but it had to be his children, the fabulous Holmes Brothers, who made me lose, not once but twice,”, Lady Adler said, looking first at Mycroft, who despite being immersed in a deep discussion with one of his associates, occasionally directed a small, discrete smile at Itzel, and then at Sherlock who was still with John on the dance floor. “Congratulations, it seems your future children will have magnificent horses, bred by my best mare.”

 

“You were friends with Siger?” Itzel said surprised when comprehension dawned on her.

 

“I am friends with Siger. Why is that so surprising?” Lady Adler asked.

 

“It just seems that you have nothing in common, that is all, and I had assumed the reason you were invited to these gatherings was because of your business with Mr. Holmes,” Itzel answered sincerely.

 

“So, your mother-in-law is ‘Siger’ – but your father-in-law is ‘Mr. Holmes’? No love lost for that one, I see,” Lady Adler stated with a knowing look.

 

“Does that surprise you?”

 

“Sadly, no. Violet is too ambitious for her own good, and she often overlooks there are more important things than earning the next million or gaining more influence. She did not approve of your marriage to Mycroft, still she has taken every advantage she can from your Family.”

 

“Yes, my lack of a nobility title and my inability to give birth to multiple _pups_ are a shame to the Holmes name and so Mr. Holmes is trying to wash it away with money,” Itzel said sarcastically.

 

“Just listen to yourself! I always knew there was more of your Mother in you, than what you let show,” Lady Adler exclaimed directing a calculating gaze at Itzel.

 

“Thank you,” the omega answered proudly.

 

Lady Adler shook her head sadly. “This time I was not complimenting you. Omegas like your mother do not survive long in this ambience. They shine brighter than many alphas, and so they are seen as a threat that has to be eradicated swiftly and quickly.”

 

“I do not like you.” Itzel said childishly.

 

“I know, my dear girl, nobody really likes me, except Siger, and because of that, you can be sure that your little secret is safe with me, I will never do anything that could hurt my one and only friend.”

 

“You love him,” Itzel said with certainty.

 

“Always have, always will. If at the time my family had had a better position, I would have defied Violet; alas, it was not meant to be. They stood side by side for a few moments, sipping their drinks in silence, finally Lady Adler said:

 

“If you excuse me, I have business to attend.”

 

“Of course, Lady Irene, and... thank you,” Itzel said ashamed of all the times she had judged her without really knowing her.

 

“None of that my dear girl...” Lady Adler was saying, when Greg approached them, interrupting her midsentence.

 

“Here you are, lo… Itzel, Mycroft has been looking for you,” Greg said somewhat flustered.

 

Itzel looked intrigued at him, Mycroft was just on the other side of the room, and had a perfect view of her; as an excuse to separate her from Lady Irene, that was the lamest Greg could have come up with.

 

“Greg, have you met Lady Irene? Let me introduce you,” Itzel finally said, ignoring his comment.

 

“Detective Inspector Gregory Lestrade, I have heard a lot about you, the rising star of New Scotland Yard and a good _friend_ of the Holmes. I hope you realize how lucky you are, the three of you,” Lady Irene said offering her hand to Greg.

 

“Excuse me, my Lady, I do not understand…” Greg stammered after politely kissing Lady Adler´s hand.

 

“Yes, you do,” Lady Adler said, and then directing a mischievous smile at Greg, she added: “The three of you together… Oh, do not look so scared, I assure you no one else knows. I noticed, because relationships are my business, but as I told your young omega, your secret is safe with me, and now I must really go, I have already spent too much time with you, children. Good day.”

 

“We have to talk with Mycroft now,” Greg whispered to Itzel urgently, as soon as Lady Adler was out of earshot.

 

“No, we will talk at home. Do not worry, she will keep her promise,” Itzel said calmly, smiling to a few persons who had come to sit at the bar.

 

“How can you be so sure? Even I know how Lady Irene restored her family’s fortune, and it certainly has nothing to do with her horses and other formal businesses,” Greg said once they were alone again.

 

“I cannot tell you now, just trust me, okay? She told me a secret of her own, not because she had to, but because she wanted to; it was her way of showing me she will not do anything against us,” Itzel said smiling at him.

 

“Ok, I will trust you on this, still the moment we arrive home, you will tell Mycroft,” Greg said sternly.

 

“Yes Greg. Really, you, alphas and your trust issues,” Itzel joked.

 

“Ha, look who´s talking,” Greg joked back, earning a laugh from Itzel.

 

“Having fun?”, Mycroft said joining them.

 

“Yes, we are, although not as much as if we were dancing.” Itzel said without thinking, realizing almost immediately that Greg will never have the chance to dance with either of them in public, not unless they wanted to cause a big scandal.

 

“Go you two, to the dance floor. I will have my turn when we are back home.”, Greg said with a faint smile.

 

“Gregory...”

 

“I am ok, really go dance, I love to see you two twirling around”, Greg said interrupting Mycroft

 

They both nodded and walked to the middle of the dance floor, directing discrete smiles to Greg before the music started.

 

The song that was playing was very different to what will normally be played in an event like this, but in an attempt to please the sons and daughters of their “friends” the Holmes had included some modern songs...

 

We keep behind closed doors  
Every time I see you, I die a little more  
Stolen moments that we steal as the curtain falls  
It'll never be enough  
As you drive me to my house  
I can't stop these silent tears from rolling down  
You and I both have to hide on the outside  
Where I can't be yours and you can't be mine  
  
But I know this, we got a love that is homeless  
  
Why can't I hold you in the street?  
Why can't I kiss you on the dance floor?  
I wish that it could be like that  
Why can't it be like that? 'Cause I'm yours  
Why can't I say that I'm in love?  
I wanna shout it from the rooftops  
I wish that it could be like that  
Why can't it be like that? 'Cause I'm yours  
  
It's obvious you're meant for me  
Every piece of you, it just fits perfectly  
Every second, every thought, I'm in so deep  
But I'll never show it on my face  
  
But we know this, we got a love that is hopeless

(The song is “Secret Love Song Pt. II by Little Mix)

 

The  lyrics were so fitting to their situation, you just had to change some pronouns to make it about three persons...and suddenly Itzel realized something...she was in love with Greg...SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH GREG!!!!


End file.
